


The Party

by PerditaAlottachocolate



Series: The Party universe [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Bad Puns, Costume Party, F/M, Gen, Humour, LadyNoir - Freeform, Party, Post Reveal, Risk of reveal, Sly plans gone wrong, a bit of post reveal ladrien, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-10-16 11:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10570689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerditaAlottachocolate/pseuds/PerditaAlottachocolate
Summary: Chloe plots a sly plan to convince Adrien she is the real Ladybug, while our favorite super duo starts to worry someone might recognize their secret identities because of a Ladybug-themed costume party, thrown specifically in order to challenge post-akumatization trauma of Ms. Bustier’s students.Bad puns included.





	1. The plan

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece of fan fiction ever, or of any kind of fiction for that matter. I treat it as a warm-up. Hope you'll like it.

Another boring lesson.

Chloé sat by her desk and let the lecture pass by without reaching her ears. Her nails were getting all of her attention. 'It's definitely time to refresh my manicure,' she thought and made a mental note to make an appointment with her manicurist that afternoon. Having gotten done with her nails, and with nothing else to do she started to look around the class.

Her gaze immediately went to the left, to the place where Adrien was seated. At first she thought he was really focused on the lecture, consulting the textbook from time to time. But then she noticed it wasn't a textbook at all, it was a magazine. And Adrien wasn't as much consulting it, as clearly  ogling  an article, and particularly at some pictures. His gaze was hazy, a dreamy smile upon his face. He broadcasted an impression of someone not entirely here.

Chloé moved a bit so that she could glimpse what was the thing that absorbed Adrien so much. She gasped as she saw that it was an article on Ladybug! Though a huge fan of the superhero herself she suddenly got a very unpleasant feeling, that there was much more in Adrien's stare than just interest in the story.

Women have intuition for such things, and Chloé's heart sunk at the sudden realization that Adrien might not only like another girl more than her, but that the girl he had chosen to like more was a cool,smart and attractive heroine. Chloé knew Ladybug was attractive – otherwise she wouldn't cosplay as her. Still, this was hardly believable for Chloé, as hitherto she was convinced that Adrien would soon be hers.

'Definitely not good news, then,' she thought, 'but _maybe_ I can make some use out of it…'. Already an idea started to form in her head.

She couldn't have known that someone else in the class was observing Adrien and had also spotted his keen interest in the magazine.

Just a few minutes before the bell, Miss Bustier ended her lecture and said, 'Before you go I have an announcement to make. There have been complaints from some of the students regarding them being teased because of their past akumatization. We know some of you might feel stigmatized by the experience. After consulting school counselor, the principal decided that every class should participate in an event in order to challenge those experiences and overcome them as a group. It is important that you feel comfortable about the event, hence the idea that you – as a class – should choose the kind of event yourselves. Should this be a seminar, a workshop, a group discussion, any other form of meeting, whatever you decide, you have Principal Damocles's full support.'

'Now I ask you to consider what kind of event would make you feel comfortable to face the problem. You can submit your propositions by tomorrow.' Miss Bustier ended her speech and looked at her students to make sure they understood what she was expecting of them. She anticipated that it would be difficult for them to agree on anything, as her class seemed extremely prone to akuma attacks, like no other at Collège Françoise Dupont. She suspected it had something to do with the presence of Chloé Bourgeois, but kept that opinion to herself.

That is why she was more than surprised when Chloé's hand sprang into the air almost immediately.

'Actually, Miss, I have an idea' Chloé volunteered.

The rest of the class, save for Chloé's friend Sabrina, rolled their eyes in almost perfect unison. Chloé's ideas were always self-centered, misjudged and usually meant that at least one of them would suffer really soon. Seeing this, Miss Bustier struggled to suppress a giggle but she managed to keep a straight face.

'You do? That's great. I'd love to hear it,' Miss Bustier encouraged the girl.

'Well, Miss, since the purpose of the event is to challenge our discomfort of being akumatized, we could try and overcome it by being akumatized again…' said Chloé.

' _That's official then. She went bonkers at last. That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard,'_ Alya whispered into Marinette's ear. Nino and Adrien chuckled as they were also able to hear that remark, sitting in front of the girls.

Hearing Alya's muffled whispering Chloé cleared her throat and raised her voice. 'Ekhm! If I may continue… My idea is actually to combine the unpleasant fact of being akumatized and a pleasant occasion such as a… party,' she said.

Now there were whispers all over the class as the student took that in.

'You're brilliant, Chloé!' cried Sabrina with authentic enthusiasm, as she always did on Chloé's ideas.

After the initial shock Miss Bustier collected herself and said 'That is actually a very inspired idea, Chloé…'

'Please, Miss, there's more to it. Let me finish. What I am proposing is to throw a theme party. A _Ladybug_ theme party, to be precise. Since it is Ladybug and Chat Noir that defeat the akumatized villains, I propose that we throw a costume party. Most of us will dress as villains, and two of us will dress as our dear super heroes. Then together we can challenge those destructive feelings and accept our weaknesses, as we will be saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir,' she concluded somewhat lofty.

Chloé looked around triumphantly. She saw that this idea sunk almost immediately. After all who would want to have some stupid workshop, when they could be having a party? Her classmates had already worked that one out. But she wasn't finished as there was one more thing she had to sell in order to bring her clever plan into action. Yet just as she was about to speak Miss Bustier interfered.

'Well, well, Chloé, I can see that your classmates already like this idea. I myself would have probably suggested a workshop with a specialist, a psychotherapist maybe. I have to admit that a party would have never crossed my mind, but this actually might work. I'm sure the principal will be satisfied with this solution and there won't be a problem in letting the class have a party at school.'

Chloé shuddered as she felt things were starting to slip from her control. She would not allow that. Her whole plan depended on that.

'Actually, Miss, if you don't mind, I thought that it would be better to throw the party outside school. It would be my honor to be the host of this event,' she volunteered. For a moment there she thought she overacted a bit with the 'honor' thing, but there was no reaction so she continued. 'I would gladly invite my fellow students to Le Grand Paris. It is a much more suitable place for a party that I have in mind. I'm sure my father will be delighted.' She eyed Miss Bustier and her classmates, but there was still no sign of doubt in her words. After all, even a half-wit would have figured out by now that having the party at her hotel would be much more fun than having it at school. She knew she had already won. It was time to secure the crucial element of her plan. So now for the biggest scoop.

Chloé drew her breath and continued. 'There's one more thing though. We have to choose our villain and hero identities.' This caused a stir. She waited for this to subside and continued in a louder voice. 'In my opinion it would be only fair if we all drew lots.'

' _Now this is something new. Chloé playing fair? I can't believe it!'_ It was Alya whispering from behind. The girl was authentically surprised. Chloé sneered triumphantly. How little did she know! She wouldn't be Chloé Bourgeois if she didn't have something up her sleeve. Of course the draw would be fair, except for two small details. It would be Chloé who would get to draw the Ladybug costume and it would be Adrien who would get to dress as Chat Noir. She would see to it.

Chloé raised her brow in contentment – there was literally no possibility that Adrien wouldn't fall for her after seeing her in her costume. Who knows, maybe he could've even be persuaded to think she _really_ _was_ Ladybug? The sheer thought of her beside the handsome model dressed in the leather-like black suit caused her to tremble with joy. This was bound to work out, right? Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was originally posted on ff net, I'll be reposting the existing chapters here.
> 
> I would appreciate your reviews and comments.
> 
> The story was supposed to be short, but somehow it's getting longer with every chapter (10 so far, and that's not the end), just like it was writing itself...


	2. The suspicion

And so it was decided to go with Chloé's idea. To be honest everyone was surprised by her action – not only that she submitted the idea in the first place, but also that she invited them to Le Grand without any hidden agenda. After all, what would she possibly gain from all this? Well, that's how most of the class perceived the situation, but not all believed in Chloé's pure intentions.

'I'm telling you, she's up to something. I just haven't figured out yet what it might be. But mark my words, there's something more to this party than we know,' Alya murmured in Marinette's ear as they were leaving the school.

'I suppose we'll see soon enough,' said Marinette absentmindedly. She also had a feeling that Chloé was hiding something, but another detail nagged at her mind.

There were fourteen students in Marinette's class, so the chance for this to occur was really small, yet there was a not-so-theoretical possibility that _she_ would get to dress as Ladybug. She still hasn't figured out how was it possible that none of her friends and colleagues had ever recognized her when she was transformed into the heroine known as Ladybug, even though she looked _literally the same_ except for a red suit and a small red mask covering her eyes. Possibly it had something to do with the spots. Yet she felt it would not be wise to tempt fate on such an occasion as the party at the risk of being recognized. After all it was crucial to keep her secret identity … well… secret.

Suddenly, Alya's jabber jolted her back to reality. 'What did you say, Alya? Could you repeat that last thing?' Marinette asked.

'I was just saying how funny it is that out of our class only you and Adrien haven't been akumatized. Did you ever notice that?' Alya repeated.

'Eep... Emm… What? Really?' Marinette mumbled.

'Yes, actually I checked that lately, and I am 100% positive. We've all been akumatized in the past year except for you two. Well, Adrien is such a sweet boy that he probably would never get an akuma. I mean the man is as tranquil as Shangri La. You though… ' Alya raised her brow.

'Whaaa… What a-a-are you getting a-a-at?' Marinette stuttered.

'Oh, nothing,' Alya said innocently. 'It's just that Chloé got on your nerves so many times, I kind of assumed it was a question of _when_ rather than _if_. Yet you've proven me wrong. Actually I don't get it. Many times I've seen you mad as hell, and still not even a fly, let alone an evil butterfly. Do you meditate or something?' Alya jested.

At that point Marinette was beet red so Alya decided to drop the subject. 'Relax, I'm just teasing you,' she said in a conciliatory tone. 'Don't get yourself so wound up if you don't want to see an akuma coming your way… Sorry! Sorry! It slipped, I swear!' Alya cried as she saw what looked like wisps of smoke coming out of Marinette's ears.

Marinette was about to snap at Alya but before she was able to muster an adequately mean reply, they heard screams and saw people running away from a commotion somewhere down the street. Shivers went down Marinette's spine as she caught a glimpse of what looked like a very tall man in a very strange suit, scissors in his hands, needles on his shoulders and an evil sparkle in his eye. Undoubtedly another akuma victim.

As Marinette took in the scene, Alya was already wading through the crowd in the direction of the villain, her phone in her hand, ready to stream up live on her blog. 'Alya, no! Wait!' Marinette cried, but in vain as her friend was out of her reach. 'Well, Tikki. Let's see about that akuma, shall we?' she whispered into her purse and looked around for a suitable hideout.

News spread like wildfire. After just a few seconds, the scene was almost empty of people, but contained a considerable amount of superheroes as Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped into the street and approached the tall man. He looked like a very gloomy tailor's mannequin, save for the scissors in his hands. His voice echoed through the street. 'I am the Grim Tailor! The master of the scissors! Now give me your miraculouses or prepare for the final cut!' he yelled.

'Hey, that was actually quite a _cutting_ remark for a… ' said Chat Noir casually but he saw the expression on Ladybug's face and changed his mental gear '…villain?' he ventured. The heroine just shrugged. 'Maybe we could just get the job done?' she snapped.

Chat wasn't really good at reading Ladybug's moods, or he would have learnt by now when it was a bad time for jokes, but today his Lady seemed particularly harsh. She also seemed preoccupied with something else as she was constantly looking around as if making sure that no one was watching them. Chat decided he wasn't going to add to her aggravation and instead forced himself to focus on the task. 'The akuma is probably hidden in his scissors,' he suggested. 'Otherwise, we're in trouble as I don't see anything on him except for the needles.’

' _And if the akuma is indeed in one of the needles then needless to say it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack,'_ he thought to himself and giggled internally at this pun, but he was smart enough not to say it out loud.

'I agree. Let's get to it then,' Ladybug replied and they attacked in unison. Soon it was all over, the akuma purified and all the damage reverted. In the middle of the street there was a tall, thin, elderly looking man, tape-measure around his neck. He looked a bit flustered, probably wondering how did he get there. He gave Chat an uncomfortably long stare.

' _He looks kind of familiar,'_ Chat Noir thought as he tried to recall his face. _'Got it! He is the Chief Tailor at my father's fashion house!'_ Chat had an unpleasant impression that somehow his father was involved in this akumatization.

Then he remembered Ladybug's mood and turned his attention towards her. 'Is everything all right, my Lady? You seem worried. What's on your mind?' he asked gently. He half expected she would dismiss his concern or snap at him, but she just sighed and didn't reply at all. _'Oh boy, this is bad,'_ thought Chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudos and comments, they mean a lot to me :)  
> I'll do my best to post a chapter every other day until I run out of them at least
> 
> Tell me what you think of this one!


	3. The concern

At last Ladybug made up her mind and asked, 'Chat, have you ever saved from an akuma someone you know? I mean someone you know as your normal self?'

Chat couldn't see where this was going, but he was genuinely worried about his partner so without giving it a second thought he went for the truth. 'Yup, multiple times actually. What seems to be the problem?' He regretted this as soon as he spoke. He wasn't supposed to reveal his identity, and the fact that he knew many of the akuma victims could provide someone with clues to his secret.

Ladybug also caught that but she restrained from commenting. Instead, she inquired, 'Aren't you afraid that someone might recognize you? Someone who knows you really well?'

'I never considered this to be a problem, I guess. I just assumed that the process of transformation makes us unrecognizable in some magical way. Why are you suddenly so worried about that? We've saved so many people so far and no one recognized us, after all.’ He tried to calm her down, but deep down he started to feel uneasy himself. There was a time when he thought his father had recognized his face under the mask as well as the ring on his finger. But since Gabriel didn't raise the subject afterwards, Chat assumed it was nothing. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. Still, Ladybug seemed upset so he tried to cheer her up.

'Don't worry about that, my Lady. I'm sure no one will know our true identities unless we decide to reveal ourselves,' he assured her. 'And if we don't want this happy occasion to arise right now, I suggest we'd better be moving,' he added, looking at his ring when the last pad started beeping. 'See you around!' He bowed and ran away, and so did Ladybug.

 

***

 

Back at his house, Adrien couldn't stop thinking about Ladybug's concern. He started to feel anxious and couldn't exactly pinpoint why. He tried asking Plagg about the reasons no one recognized him when he was transformed, but the kwami was as helpful as always. He claimed that was just 'magic' and demanded more cheese. This seemed to be the end of it. However, Adrien couldn't help being worried and the feeling didn't subside the next day when they were supposed to draw the lots.

Marinette, on the other hand, knew precisely why she was worried, and she tried to explain this to Tikki, her kwami. 'Don't you think that if I came to the party in a Ladybug costume, someone might actually recognize me? Or at least develop a suspicion? You know that for Alya it would be enough to follow this trail. Remember how just a stupid yoyo in Chloé's locker made her jump to the conclusion that Chloé was Ladybug? I'm really worried, Tikki.'

'I'm sure there is no reason to worry, Marinette,' Tikki said soothingly. 'I think Alya has learned her lesson and she wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions this time. As for others, I doubt they've seen that much of Ladybug to actually notice the similarities.'

'But that's exactly why I am worried!' Marinette groaned. 'What if someone takes a really good look at me dressed as Ladybug, and afterwards they would find themselves involved with my other identity? You don't exactly need to be a genius to connect the dots.' The pun wasn't intentional, but she winced nevertheless. _'Chat's poor sense of humor must be rubbing off on me,'_ she sighed internally, although she had to admit that not all of his puns were bad.

Tikki however found the accidental joke amusing so she giggled a bit. 'I'm sorry, I can't explain why nobody recognizes you when you're Ladybug. I do not know how or why this happens. But if it's any consolation, the probability of you drawing the Ladybug lot is really small.' Tikki reasoned. 'And even if you did draw it, you can easily swap with someone. That is allowed, isn't it?'

This finally got through to Marinette. 'Well, yes… I suppose I could swap… Thank you, Tikki.' She calmed down a bit, but deep down she knew that she would feel safe only when she got her hands on any lot that doesn't have 'Ladybug' written on it. She sighed, realizing she would have to wait till tomorrow for that to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it so far? I aprreciate your comments. A lot!
> 
> Sorry, if this chapter is rather short, but get ready for the next one - one of my favs "The Draw". It's just around the corner.


	4. The draw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys! Thank you for your kudos and comments. I hope you'll like this chapter – so far my favorite. It was fun to write this one, as the story gains momentum.

As it was Chloé's idea to throw the party and also because it was to be held in Le Grand Paris, together with Sabrina they took over the whole planning business, including the execution of the lottery. However, to avoid any unfortunate incidents, Miss Bustier had prepared the lots herself. She gave them to Sabrina at the end of their lessons. The girl put them in a designer beret and set off to conduct the draw. Her hands were shaking a bit because all of her classmates were staring at her.

The first person to draw was Adrien. He smiled encouragingly at Sabrina as he saw how uptight she was. He put his hand into the hat and drew a piece of paper. But before he was able to read it, Sabrina lost her grip on the beret, possibly because of the shaking hands. As she tried to catch it back, she knocked the paper out of Adrien's hand and it feel onto the floor.

'I'm sooooo sorry, Adrien!' she cried in embarrassment, and immediately threw herself to the floor to pick it up. 'Here it is.' She handed the paper to Adrien.

'Now you have to read what it says,' said Chloé, secretly dying to check whether Sabrina had carried out her instructions. 'We all want to know who you'll get to impersonate,' she declared in a sing-song  voice so full of cheer that Alya couldn't resist making a face at her.

Adrien looked at the piece of paper in his hand and paled. His mouth flapped open and shut a couple of times, but it was obvious to the class he was rendered speechless. Instead, he passed it to Nino who read it aloud so that everyone could hear it. 'It says "Chat Noir" here. Wow, congrats dude, you get to be one of our superheroes for the evening!'

Adrien smiled faintly and sat down to absorb this news. Sabrina walked to Nino and he drew the paper marked “Darkblade”. 'Not bad, huh?!' He showed the lot to Alya who was seated behind him.

Now it was Marinette's turn. Her hands were shaking just like Sabrina's. She really didn't want to get to dress as Ladybug, now even more since Adrien was going to be Chat. After all, who would want to see a super duo, half of which was temporarily mute due to terrible shyness towards the other half?

Nevertheless, she managed to pull out a piece of paper without causing any accident. The name on her lot said "Santa Claws". She breathed with relief. _'And to think I worried so much,'_ she thought. _'Tikki was right'._

As Marinette and Sabrina were preoccupied with the draw, Alya didn't waste her time. She paid careful attention towards Sabrina's sleeves. She thought she saw something stacked in the left one before Sabrina approached Adrien, but when the girl went to Nino, she couldn't see it anymore. That was suspicious. Alya still tried to figure out what was Chloé's agenda and she gasped at the sudden realization: that spoiled girl probably wanted to pair with Adrien for the party! And what better occasion to spend time with the boy than to dress him up as Chat Noir and become Ladybug herself? _'So that's her plan!'_ Suddenly all the pieces clicked into place. _'That means Sabrina must have hidden the Ladybug lot somewhere on herself so that no one but Chloé could draw it!'_ she concluded.

When Sabrina came towards Alya and brought the beret closer to her, Alya pretended to mix all the pieces before drawing one, while at the same time she looked for the place where Sabrina might have hidden a certain lot. There was something white just under Sabrina's right sleeve! Alya moved forward like she was about to fall over and caught Sabrina's right hand for support. 'Sorry, Sabrina, I must have slipped,' she said apologetically as she pulled a piece of paper from the sleeve of the unsuspecting girl with a gentle tug and pretended she had already drawn it out of the beret.

'So, what does it say? Tell us!' Nino urged Alya to reveal her character for the party.

'It says "Ladybug"!' Alya exclaimed with what she hoped sounded like genuine surprise.

'WHAT?!' snapped Chloé, but then thought better of it and sat back clutching her fists.

'Wow, that's fantastic, Alya!' said Marinette, relieved. 'Now you get to be a superhero just like you always wanted!'

'Yeah, that is great!' said Alya dismissively, as she turned her eyes to Chloé, who looked extremely angry. She was making muffled noises and glared at Sabrina with murder in her eyes.

' _Gotcha!'_ thought Alya with quiet satisfaction. _'And prepare yourself, girl, for this is just the beginning. I have a plan myself!'_ She smiled inwards at this promise.

The rest of the lottery was uneventful, except for Chloé's rage which she failed to conceal. By the time Sabrina approached her with the last two lots in the beret, Chloé was boiling. Without even looking at her friend she pulled one of the remaining lots from the hat. She took a look at it and groaned, this time not even attempting to hide her discontent.

'What is it, Chloé?' called Kim. 'Who did you get?'

Chloé sent him a piercing stare. 'Kung Food!' she burst out.

There was a collective gasp at this news. As Chloé was responsible for quite an impressive amount of akumatizations, Kung Food was possibly one of the most terrifying. The villain actually tried to cook the girl in his soup. And Chloé _loathed_ soups. Well, at least after Kung Food she acquired a very good reason.

'And there's post-akumatization karma for you,' Alya murmured. She thought only Marinette, Nino and Adrien would hear her, but in fact her comment reached everybody, including Miss Bustier. The teacher took pity on Chloé and raised her voice.

'Let me remind you, that the purpose of this whole exercise is to challenge the negative experience _together_ and to support one another in their struggle,' she announced. 'As you remember, we've also agreed that you can swap lots, as long as there is _mutual_ consent to do so,' she added, looking directly at Chloé, who was already whispering feverishly into Sabrina's ear. Her friend was shaking all over with dread.

'Now you can start preparing your costumes. The party is in three days,' the teacher continued. 'Chloé and Sabrina – thank you for organizing the draw. Let me know if you need any help with the party,' she added. 'That will be all for today, thank you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, you think Adrien's down on his luck? Well, just wait till the next chapter. I certainly can make him more miserable… [*wicked smile*]
> 
> As always, please share your thoughts, I really appreciate it.


	5. The invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Gabriel Agreste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit on the short side, but much needed.

More bad news awaited Adrien at his house. Nathalie was waiting for him in the foyer. 'Good afternoon, Adrien. Your father wants to see you immediately. He's in his study.'

'Thank you, Nathalie.' Adrien replied suppressing a sigh. A conversation with his father was among the least expected and welcomed things at that moment. He knocked at the door to the study and entered the room.

'Good afternoon, Father. You wanted to see me?' Adrien tried to sound casual.

'Good afternoon, son. Good to see you.' His father greeted him as cordially as always. Adrien tried to remember a time when his father didn't act like he had swallowed a stick. It must have been a very long time ago.

'I had a conversation with Chloé's father this morning. Apparently there's going to be an event at Le Grand Paris exclusively for the students from your class. A costume party, I gather. Could you give me some details on that subject?' Gabriel demanded, his cold blue eyes betraying no trait of interest in his son whatsoever.

Adrien couldn't see any reason why would his father be interested in the party, but he had a bad feeling about that.

'Of course, Father. As strange as it sounds, the purpose of this party is for us to overcome possible post-akumatization trauma. As you know many of my classmates have been akumatized in the past…' Adrien tried to explain, but his father interrupted him.

'Yes, yes, I know that.' He was clearly impatient, probably because he already wasted much of his precious time. 'But why a costume party?'

'Ummm… For fun, I guess?' said Adrien, perplexed. He tried to recall what Chloé had said. 'Apparently we're supposed to try and overcome our discomfort of being akumatized in the past by being akumatized again. So we've got to dress as villains and…' His voice trailed off. He was afraid his father would lose his patience any second now.

'Dress as akumatized villains in order to overcome post-akumatization trauma?' Gabriel raised his brow and a shadow of smirk curved the corner of his lips. Did he actually find this amusing? 'Well, I'm sure you all have a good reason to do that. What I am most concerned about however, are the costumes.'

'Huh?' Adrien was totally lost, his green eyes opened wide in bewilderment. 'What do you mean, Father?'

'I find the idea of villain costumes quite inspiring. I _want to see them_ , Adrien.' He said with emphasis. 'And as André Bourgeois was so kind as to invite me, I've decided to come to your event. I'm sure you'll welcome the idea, as you've been constantly asking me to take part in school events, like career day, knowing how busy I am.'

'You are going to the party?!' Adrien just couldn't believe it. _'It's not happening!'_ he thought. _'It's not possible!'_

'Yes. I'm sure you don't mind.' Gabriel's answer was as solid as a brick wall.

Adrien was about to leave, but his father remembered something and asked, 'Just out of curiosity, who are you going to be at the party?'

For a split-second Adrien's heart stopped and he wanted to shrink into invisibility. The panic that he was successfully keeping at bay broke free. All he managed to mumble was 'Umm, I don't know yet. We're going to draw lots tomorrow.' He said that without turning around, afraid that his father would notice the look of pure horror on his face.

'I see,' Gabriel paused, considering his son's strange demeanor. 'When you know what costume you'll require, tell Nathalie to contact my Chief Tailor. He will help you to get what you need. Now please leave, I have matters to attend to. Have a nice evening, son.'

And just like that the conversation was over and Adrien went to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please let me know, what you think in your comments. I really appreciate that!


	6. The crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's one of my favorite chapters so far. Please let me know, what you think of it.

As soon as Adrien was alone, he called his kwami. 'Plagg! Plagg?' There was no reply so Adrien opened his bag only to reveal the kwami fast asleep and looking rather full. He was sleeping inside a box of Camembert that must have been relieved of its contents recently. There were still some crumbles on Plagg's belly.

'Plagg, you pig! Wake up and help me. I need you right now!' Adrien was really upset.

'Just chill out, will'ya?' Plagg yawned as he flew out of Adrien's bag. 'What's the matter?'

'Well, let's see. Where to begin?' Adrien snapped sarcastically. 'Maybe you'll be interested to hear that I drew to be Chat Noir at the party! And there's more. My father apparently wants to participate in that party.' Adrien was shouting now. 'And you know what that means? He'll see me in the Chat Noir's costume! Nothing good will come out of it, I tell you.'

Plagg scratched his chin thoughtfully. 'Well, that is unfortunate, I agree.'

'Is that all you have to say?' Adrien demanded. 'Oh, I had a hunch that something like that would happen, and it has! How am I supposed to go to that party dressed as Chat? What if someone recognizes me? What if _my father_ recognizes me?'

'Well, for sure everyone will recognize you,' Plagg commented sourly ' – they would either think you're Adrien or Chat Noir. And both of them are you, right?'

'Ha ha, very funny!' the blonde snapped as he was in no mood for jokes. 'It's serious, I mean it. I'm totally freaking out!'

That at least was true. Plagg had never seen Adrien so agitated, and that worried him. Up until now the boy seemed fearless and unbreakable. This got Plagg to start thinking really, really fast. At last he found a solution.

'Well, I suppose you could just… _swap_ with someone?' he ventured, trying to sound calm.

'Oh,' that was all Adrien was able to say. _'Why didn't I think of that myself?! I'm so stupid,'_ he thought.

As he calmed down a bit and his brain started to work properly again, he got an idea. 'Thanks, Plagg. I know exactly what I'm going to do. I'll trade with Nino. Alya drew to be Ladybug, so maybe Nino would want to be her partner for the evening. And Nino got Darkblade – I'll tell him since I take fencing lessons, I would make a better Darkblade than him. What do you think of that?'

Plagg was glad to see Adrien back to normal. But he felt that some nagging was due for the sake of equilibrium of the universe, so he just said acidly, 'Better make it quick. Apparently some grim tailor awaits your instructions.’

 

***

 

Marinette had problems of her own. Together with Alya, they were supposed to design their costumes this afternoon, but it seemed to Marinette that things had gotten out of hand. This was admittedly often the case when Alya had hidden agenda. And it all started with an innocent question…

'Well, I guess that my costume is easy peasy. Just the standard Santa's outfit plus some gloomy make-up, and possibly a fake bad manicure,' Marinette chattered happily. Relieved she didn't draw Ladybug, she already forgot all about her worries. 'This won't take much time, so I'll be able to help you with your costume, no problem.'

The girl went into the 'fashion designer' mode almost instantly, sketchbook in her hands, thinking of possible outfits for her friend. 'Do you know what you want? A standard LB costume or a dress maybe?'

'Ah, yes. That's a very good question,' said Alya slowly. 'Well… What would you chose _if you were in my place_ , Mari?'

There was something in Alya's voice that made Marinette raise her head from her sketchbook and look her in the eyes. There was an evil sparkle in them. That could mean only one thing.

'Oh, no! You wouldn't! You know what Chloé will do when she finds out you traded me the Ladybug lot!' Marinette shouted at Alya. 'She's going to make my life a living hell, thank you very much. There's no way I'm doing this.'

Alya shook her head. 'Oh yes, you are. And I'll tell you why. Yesterday, I watched Adrien during the last lesson. And you know what he was reading under his desk? An article on Ladybug!' she said triumphantly. 'Mind you, he wasn't _just_ reading it, he was practically drooling over it!'

Marinette was perplexed. 'So? What that has got to do with me?' She stiffened, because she thought this conversation got dangerously close to linking her to the real Ladybug. She started to worry that Alya might have recognized her while Ladybug was fighting Grim Tailor the day before. But somewhere at the back of her head a small voice cried _'Wait! What? Adrien likes Ladybug?! Yay!'_

'Oh. My. God. Marinette. You don't get it, do you?' Alya was clearly losing her patience. 'Well then, I will have to spell it out for you. Please pay attention, ok? Just nod.'

Nod.

'Adrien. Likes. Ladybug. Right? Just nod.'

Nod. _'Yay!'_

'Adrien. Is. Going. To be. Chat. Noir. Right? Just nod.'

Nod.

_Gasp._

_Got it._

_Got terrified_.

'No way, Alya! No way! You know what happens when I'm near him! I don't want to make a fool of myself. Again. _And_ in Le Grand.' Marinette tried to talk her friend out of it.

'You can do it, Marinette. And think of it this way – you won't be Marinette, you'll be the bold and brave _Ladybug_.' Cue the internal 'Oh-O', as Marinette remembered the most important reason why she shouldn't be Ladybug. But she knew she already lost. There was no way to persuade Alya at that moment.

Even so, she tried one last time. 'And what am I supposed to do with Chloé's wrath? You saw how she behaved when you told us you drew Ladybug. She definitely wanted the lot for herself.'

'Chloé's wrath is nothing new to you, isn't it?' Alya replied with a smirk. 'And if she asks if you're going to be Ladybug…? Just _lie_ , Marinette. Tell her that you don't have it and don't know who might. And afterwards you can say that you swapped at the last moment.'

Marinette gave up. 'You know what? Maybe you all really do have a post-akumatization trauma, but why do you make me suffer from non-akumatization stress? _That_ I do not understand!'

'Well, that's seems only fair, don't you think? Kind of like we're even,' Alya winked at Marinette, amused with her friend's exasperation.

Marinette couldn't help but giggle. And in her mind two words from Alya's rant echoed and formed a solution to the Ladybug problem: _lie_ and _swap_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think they'll be out of the woods in no time, think again.


	7. The swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… now it's time to swap, ladies and gentlemen. You ready? Enjoy XD

As soon as he got to school the next morning, Adrien set his brilliant plan into action.

'Wow, dude, thanks!' Nino was genuinely surprised at Adrien's offer to swap lots. 'That would be great if I was Chat and Alya was Ladybug. But no can do, sorry bro.'

'What? Why not? You just said you don't mind being Chat Noir.' Adrien rubbed his forehead, suppressing a groan. He suspected this was going to be another bad day.

'That's right, I'd like that, but I can't trade you Darkblade. I've already swapped with Kim, and now I get to go as Animan.' Nino was clearly disappointed, but now there was also a hint of suspicion in his hazel eyes.

'What? That's even better! I'd looove to be Animan.' The blonde wished he sounded more convincing. His hand instantly went to the back of his neck in that signature gesture of his. He noticed that a little bit too late to stop himself and tried to keep his cool.

'Well, if you say so…' Nino raised his brow at his friends act. He thought there was something strange about Adrien's urge to swap lots. The boy broadcasted awkwardness a mile around. 'But seriously? You don't want to be a superhero but a villain instead?'

'Yes, I already told you. I've never been akumatized. I hope I never will be, but I kind of wanted to try it out. The safe way, I suppose.' Adrien flashed his friend a bashful smile. He came up with that explanation this morning. He thought it would sound logical, but now he knew it was rubbish. He was clearly down on his luck these days.

'Well, it sounds kind of stupid, you know that?' Nino knew his friend too well to fall for that poor excuse. But then a thought struck him. 'Wait, I know why you're doing this. It's because of Chloé, right? You're afraid she's going to glue herself to you and make you a sort of mascot for that party, aren't you?'

'Y-y-yes! That's exactly what I'm afraid! You got it!' This didn't make any sense to Adrien, but he would say anything just to swap with Nino. 'And when you will be with Alya, she won't try that on you, right?' he added, pleased with himself on that impromptu return.

Nino was silent for a moment, taking this all in. He didn't look convinced, but finally he reached a decision, muttering to himself, _'_ What are friends for…'

'Ok, then. Say hello to your Animan.' The boy pulled the lot out of his bag and passed it to his friend.

'Thanks, man!' The blonde was overjoyed. _'You really saved me today,'_ he thought, as he and Nino fist-bumped.

 

***

 

Marinette wasn't that lucky. She couldn't trade with her BFF, because that was the source of the problem. Not only she had to do it behind Alya's back, but also behind Chloé's. Not wanting to go as Ladybug was one thing, but leaving poor Adrien 'Noir' in Chloé's claws was quite different. And with every person she approached this mission seemed more and more impossible.

She bumped into Alix in the locker room. The girl was willing to swap lots up until the moment when she found out Marinette wanted to get rid of Ladybug. After that she refused any negotiations. She already heard Sabrina asking if anyone had seen Alya, so she figured, that the Ladybug Lot Hunt had begun. Alix simply didn't want to be in the firing line. But she offered she wouldn't tell anybody that Marinette had the lot in case Chloé or Sabrina were on her track.

Then Marinette decided to talk to Mylene. Unfortunately her reaction was similar to Alix's. Mylene was positively terrified at the thought of being Ladybug under Chloé's nose. She was really sorry for Marinette, but there was no way she could be persuaded. What was even worse, Mylene said that Marinette was perfect for the Ladybug character, being class representative. Besides, she was probably the only girl in their class apart from Alya able to stand up to Chloé.

' _Don't panic,'_ Marinette said to herself. _'Plenty of people in this class. Someone_ will _swap with you'._ Well, easier said than done. She briefly considered asking one of the boys. However she resigned after the look of disgust Max gave her at the suggestion that he could be dressed in a _girl's_ costume.

It seemed that everybody Marinette approached that day either thought she was perfect choice for the role of Ladybug (O _h sweet irony!_ ), or just begged her not to trade the lot in order to prevent Chloé from intercepting it. Everybody swore they wouldn't tell Chloé she had it. Marinette was worried sick at the prospect of attending the party as Ladybug, but it seemed she didn't have any choice.

 

***

 

Alya, on the other hand, swapped lots of lots that day. She decided it would be best to cover her tracks. So far she managed to trade Santa Claws for Pixelator, then that for Guitar Villain, swapping it right after for Mr. Pigeon and Rogercop, finally acquiring Stormy Weather.

She had most fun when Sabrina approached her just after she traded with Juleka. She knew perfectly well that Sabrina was there to get the Ladybug lot and the girl wouldn't keep it to herself. Still Alya decided to play Chloé's game.

And she carried out the whole exchange masterfully. She said she'd love to swap with Sabrina and asked her if she would be satisfied with Stormy Weather. Sabrina tried really hard to hide her disappointment at this news, but failed under Alya's steady gaze. Clearly she was hoping to trade her Mime for Ladybug. As Sabrina was terribly bad at improvisation, with Chloé being the brain of this operation, she swapped anyway. However she was able to regain some coherent thought and she managed to ask 'casually' who was the person that traded Alya the Stormy Weather lot earlier.

Afterwards, Alya felt she should be offended that Sabrina and Chloé thought she would fall for that poor show. But she could barely hold her laughter as one by one her classmates ran to her claiming that Sabrina just approached them asking about the Ladybug lot they supposedly traded with Alya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on things will be getting serious or at least seriousish.  
> As always, I appreciate your reviews and opinions


	8. The quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… Poor Mari, I know. But I'm actually not finished yet with the swapping.
> 
> And now… Chloe steps in! Did you miss her? XD

Chloé was absolutely rabid since the draw. She threw a tantrum at Sabrina right after school. She demanded her friend make up for her mistake and get the Ladybug lot back from Alya.

So next day Sabrina set off to regain the precious lot with a determined look on her face. She started her search by approaching Alya, but to her exasperation the girl had already swapped with Juleka. And as if this wasn't bad enough, it turned out she got rid of the Ladybug lot in an earlier exchange! Sabrina tried to establish with whom Alya had previously swapped, and approached each and every person, but she got an impression that they were mocking her purposefully. Surely Alya couldn't trade with more than half of their class! Could she?

To say the least, Sabrina couldn't find anyone who saw the lot she was looking for. It was just like it had disappeared into thin air. Still, there was one major gain in her quest, though Sabrina doubted Chloé will also perceive it this way.

'What took you so long! Where's my superhero lot?' Chloé scolded her friend as soon as she came back. 'Well? What are you waiting for?'

'Chloé… please, don't be mad.' Sabrina tried to sound calm in hope that Chloé would calm down, too. 'I've… There were all these swaps… with all these people. It was really difficult to find anything…' Now Sabrina's voice was trembling. 'I… think you should know something… I've found…'

'I don't need to know anything!' Chloé snapped at her. 'Where's my lot?'

Sabrina gave up and wordlessly handed her the piece of paper she was able to obtain in her last exchange. Chloé took it to make sure it was the one. At the sight she turned all red, thunderbolts in her eyes.

'This isn't Ladybug!' she screeched.

'No, Chloé. I've tried to tell you.' Sabrina finally managed to deliver a whole sentence. 'The last person I've approached actually wanted to trade me that one. I thought it would be important, so I've decided to swap…'

Chloé managed to get a grip on herself. She had to focus. Apparently her whole plan went bust, but maybe it still wasn't too late. After all it was a stroke of luck that Sabrina was able to obtain that particular lot. If she didn't, they wouldn't even know the plan was at risk.

Finally Chloé reached a decision. It was time to take matters into her own hands. 'Keep looking for that Ladybug lot. If there's anybody you haven't already asked, go and ask them,' she ordered.

'And what will you do, Chloé?' her friend inquired quietly.

'And I,' Chloé straightened up, 'will go and talk to Adrien'.

 

***

 

After trading lots with Nino, Adrien lost interest in the party. He already had what he needed and was oblivious of the enthusiastic swapping and Sabrina's quest that's been going on during the day. Well, he should have paid more attention.

He was very surprised when he saw Chloé sitting alone on a bench. Her eyes were reddened, like she had been crying for some time. Her whole demeanor screamed 'misery', though apart from Adrien nobody paid her any attention. Well, he should have known better.

Adrien had known Chloé for a very long time, and he had never seen her so sad before. Strangely enough there was no sign of Sabrina, who could usually cheer her friend up. Then he remembered that Chloé had drawn Kung Food as her character for the party, and suddenly all the pieces clicked together.

He couldn't help but to take pity on her. _'Poor Chloé, she's probably worried about that wretched villain. He really gave her hard time.'_ With that in mind he decided to approach her and cheer her up.

'Hi, Chloé.' Adrien greeted her as he seated himself on the bench. She looked at him with watery eyes, turned her head away and started to sob.

'Hey, there,' he said soothingly. 'What's the matter?'

Chloé just shook her head as if wanting him to leave, and let out a louder whimper. Now Adrien started to worry that something was really wrong. 'Please, Chloé. You can tell me what's bothering you. We're friends, remember?' His gentle tone seemed to be working. The girl turned to face him, but as soon as she looked him in the eyes, she started crying again. He put his hand on her shoulder. 'Please, Chlo. What happened?'

'It-it-it's my lot!' She sobbed and hiccupped. 'I-I-I don't want it and nobody wants to swap with meeeeeeee.' She let out a wail drenched in her tears. It was heartbreaking for Adrien to see her in such state. She was his first friend after all. He had to help her.

'It's okay, Chloé. I'll swap with you if you want to,' he offered without a moment of hesitation.

'You'd do that?' She looked at him, taken aback. 'Oh, Adrien! That would mean a lot to me.'

'Well, it's no big deal.' He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed at her sudden gratitude. It was unusual of her, but he supposed that anyone in such a predicament would appreciate help.

They exchanged the lots. Chloé dried her tears with a hankie, gave Adrien a brave little smile, and left.

Just when she disappeared round the corner, he shook his head in astonishment and looked at the lot he received.

'What the hell?!' he burst out as he read the name on the piece of paper that Chloé had just given him.

["CHAT NOIR"]

'How did I not see that coming?!' he groaned at the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter before we're going to party! Please, let me know, what you think of this one.


	9. The risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the actual party. And as it happens one of my favs. I hope you'll enjoy it!

It occurred to Adrien that he was basically caught between a rock and a hard place. His first thought was ' _Blast it! I'm not going to that stupid party!_ ' Then he remembered that his father was invited, and he expected Adrien's presence. It would take a heck of a lot of explaining if he skipped the event. But he felt he couldn't exactly go as Chat Noir either. How come Nino got rid of the Chat lot anyway? Adrien had already texted his friend inquiring about that, but got no response so far.

Maybe it's not too late to swap again with somebody? Adrien set off into school corridors in hope of finding someone who would trade lots with him. And right on cue he felt the floor vibrate. He heard cries of students somewhere near, and out of a corner of his eye he caught a sight of a blazing flame.

'Yep, Murphy's law works for me exceptionally fine these days,' he commented sourly.

 

***

 

Mariette was also wandering through the school, musing on how her Ladybug karma bit her on her butt, when she felt the heat coming. Acting purely on instinct she ducked to the floor as white flames hit the wall where she had been standing just a split second earlier. She rolled to the other side of the corridor, crawled slowly to the railing and peered carefully at the courtyard.

'What fresh hell is this?' she exclaimed taking the scene in.

On the floor just below her current position there was a human torch. A woman, covered in flames, was striding slowly towards a group of terrified students with an evil grin on her face and two silver lighters in her hands. She released a heart-stopping cackle, raised her arms and threw a stream of fire that hit the basketball backboard just above the group. It turned to ash almost instantly. The woman didn't break her stride towards the students, but just as she was about to attack them, Chat's baton came out of nowhere, flew past her eyes and back into the clawed black hand. The distraction was successful as now the Akuma turned her attention towards the superhero and allowing the students to run to safety.

'I see that someone's been burning the midday oil,' said Chat Noir with a smug smile. 'So? What's cooking?' he asked, leaning nonchalantly on the railing, swinging his tail in a continuous circle.

The woman gave him a fiery stare and her lips curled into a wicked smirk. 'You?' she offered.

Chat gulped, suddenly feeling very lonely and extremely flammable. He hadn't really planned anything past the much needed distraction. The villain released another stream of fire in his direction and just as he was preparing himself to be burned to a crisp, a yoyo wrapped around his leg and he was pulled out of the flames' way.

'Ah, I see my Lady is as always _on the spot,_ ' Chat greeted Ladybug as he was picking himself up from the floor.

She rolled her eyes and released a groan of exasperation. 'Chat, for the love of God! You almost died there! Can't you be serious just once?' The heroine was shaking both out of rage and fear for her partner.

' _Paw_ solutely not!' he replied with an impish grin, determined to pun like there was no tomorrow. After all, just a few seconds earlier he had thought there wouldn't be one.

'Sorry to interrupt this heated discussion,' suddenly a third voice joined the conversation, 'but Miss Bonfire would like to know if you would rather give her your miraculouses now or after you'll be roasted?' Oh god, that blasted woman could not only cast flames but also hover on them, as she just leveled up to the heroes on the first floor.

'Why don't you just burn away!' roared Ladybug spinning her yo-yo like a shield in front of her and Chat. She doubted though whether this would serve as a good defense against a blazing fire.

'Oh, so my Lady has a soft _spot_ for puns, too?' Chat exclaimed with mock surprise, his hand resting on his chest. 'I'm touched.'

'Chat, seriously, pipe down. Let's just get her.' Ladybug clearly had enough of puns for one akuma. Her partner shrugged and they both sprang into action. In just a few very heated moments it was all over. Lucky Charm provided them with a little too obvious black dotted fire extinguisher, which turned out to be totally useless as Miss Bonfire simply dodged every attempt of targeting the lighters in her hands. In the end, Chat served as  bait while a slightly scorched and very vexed Ladybug just smacked the unlucky villain between the eyes with her charm. Chat winced compassionately at his Lady's most direct approach, as this was a very accurate visualization of how he felt every time she smiled at him. But he was still relieved when as always the damage was reverted, the akuma purified, and the victim returned to her normal self.

'Well, my Lady, that was hot! I'd love to stay and c _hat_ ,' he wiggled his brows playfully, 'but unfortunately I have a pressing matter _in paw_.' Chat just couldn't stop himself if he saw a pun coming his way. Still now it was high time to resolve his personal crisis. 'See you when I see you!' With that he planted a kiss on Ladybug's knuckles and ran away.

Surprisingly enough Ladybug just gave a little chuckle at his babble. 'See you, Chat!' she called after him.

 

***

 

Adrien de-transformed in the locker room. Lessons were already over, and with the akuma attack the school was probably empty anyway, so there was really no point in hanging around anymore. Besides, he needed to order the costume today, or it wouldn't be sewn on time. He already told his father that by the end of the day he would know his character for the party, so there was no way around that problem. He had a hunch that it would be the first question asked when he got home. It seemed he was stuck with Chat Noir for good. Just his luck.

He checked his phone only to find Nino's reply to his text. Apparently Alya traded her Ladybug lot without consulting Nino, so he just swapped with Sabrina as he didn't want to deal with Chloé at the party. Besides he and Alya now had acquired 'matching suits' whatever that was supposed to mean. Although Adrien couldn't blame his friend, it didn't improve his situation. Oh, he wouldn't even mind spending the evening as Chloé's lackey if it could be his only worry just like Nino had suggested.

As he walked towards the exit doors he noticed someone on the other side of the courtyard. He immediately headed that way, with a grain of hope in his heart.

'Hey! Oh, it's you,' he called with a hint of surprise in his voice. Well, it was worth a shot. 'Um… I know you've probably already done this, but… would you care to trade lots with me?' he asked expectantly, rubbing the back of his head. 'What do you say, huh?'

 

***

 

Late in the afternoon Chloé sat in her room. She looked like a small, very angry, very blond volcano on the verge of eruption. Her hair was a total mess, as she unconsciously tugged her hands in it from time to time and pulled random strands in silent rage.

'Which little twit has that lot?' she groaned once again. 'And it's all your fault,' she complained, pointing at Sabrina's chest. Her friend was absolutely terrified by Chloé's state.

'It's hard to tell after all these swaps, Chloé…' Sabrina's voice trailed off. She just really, really wanted to be somewhere else, preferably on the other side of the globe, as far from Chloé as possible without entering outer space.

'Did you ask everybody?'

'Yes.' Sabrina suppressed a sigh. She felt like they've been having the same conversation since Middle Ages. 'Everybody except Adrien, because you were to talk to him. And I couldn't find Marinette, but you said you've asked her, too.'

'Yeah, I did.' Chloé released a resigned puff of air and finally collapsed on her bed. She had cornered Marinette in girls' bathroom just after the classes. 'She said she didn't have it'.

'What if she lied, Chloé? She doesn't exactly like you,' Sabrina said bluntly, as she ran out of dread. Fortunately Chloé reached a point beyond rage and couldn't be angry anymore.

'Nah, she couldn't have lied.' The blonde sighed dismissively. 'She's a terrible liar. Everybody knows it. I would be able to tell.' She started to mess her hair even more, which said a lot about her current state. 'Ugh!' Chloé let out one last cry of annoyance. There was no point in going through this again. It was already too late. 'I just really want to know who has that damn lot!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. The next (and last for now) chapter will be all about that party :)
> 
> I can't wait to read your reviews, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts!


	10. The party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos, comments and bookmarks. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. It was rather good :3
> 
> So… Who was that mysterious person Adrien met? Did they swapped lots or not? What's the result of all those swaps?  
> Well, you'll find out in just a few paragraphs. Enjoy!

Finally the day of the party came. Even though Chloé was not going to be Ladybug, she still had her reputation to look up to. That's why the ballroom at Le Grand was sparkling with cunning decorations. Purple akuma-shaped butterflies were dangling happily from the ceiling. Here and there you could also spot ladybugs and little black cats with glittery green eyes. The catering tables bent with exquisite snacks. A delicate music played in the background. The overall impression was pleasant, interestingly fresh and stylish.

Chloé peered nervously around, waiting for Chat Noir and Ladybug to appear. She was no longer furious, apparently in the last two days she had used all of her rage supplies. She just wanted to know, she _had to_ know. And when she did, it would be payback time.

As Chloé watched her classmates arriving at the party, she finally begun to grasp what Sabrina was trying to tell her about those swaps. It seemed that everybody traded their lots! So far she didn't see anyone dressed as the original character they drew.

Alya walked past her, trailing Nino in her wake. She was dressed in Simon Says costume, while her almost boyfriend apparently settled for Mime's outfit. 'Well, that figures,' Chloé thought nastily. That redhead was oh so bossy and basically never silent, poor Nino could barely utter a word in her presence anyway.

She spotted Ivan and Mylene dancing in the corner and her mouth dropped at the sight of two fake beards adorning their faces. Ivan had a guitar strapped to his back and a mop of pink dreadlocks on his head. His fake beard was black, short, similar to the usual stubble of Jagged Stone. Currently it was brushing onto a more generous fake hair glued to Mylene's face. Yuk. The girl was supposed to be Santa Claws, but the difference in height between her and Ivan made her look more like a dwarf instead. Chloé supposed the girl was even more Bashful now.

Still, no trace of Adrien, though Gabriel Agreste was already here talking to her father and Miss Bustier. Chloé was hoping that the boy would come as Chat Noir after all. Although she wasn't Ladybug, she still planned to lure him in – as a villain she needed to be rescued, didn't she? And she came prepared. She was very satisfied with her Stormy Weather's outfit. Some people would say it might be too revealing, but Chloé knew what boys wanted. She smirked with satisfaction as she noticed the look on Kim's face, when he ogled her costume. Hmmm, actually Kim himself didn't look that bad in his Darkblade attire. Chloé always had a weak spot for knights. Too bad she had to wait for Adrien.

Her fist tightened around her necklace, the newest one in her collection, ordered especially for this occasion. She might not be Ladybug after all, but she certainly deserved only the best when it came to jewelry. The pendant was small and round, split in half. Its design was cunningly based on the yin-yang symbol. The yin half was made in black onyx, with a red circle of Ladybug symbol. The circle itself was a ruby, with five spots of gold embedded in it. The yang half was red coral, but instead of a circle it had a black paw print – a set of black diamond circled with golden edges. It was the most beautiful thing Chloé saw in her life. She only wore it that evening to impress Adrien, otherwise it was stored in her father's safe.

The weather girl casted a glance in the direction of the buffet, where Sabrina chatted happily with Max. She was supposed to be Animan, but since the akuma changed his shapes, she decided to go with the last one – the T-rex, though if someone would bother to ask Chloé, Sabrina's outfit looked more like Barney than anything else. Max was dressed as Mr. Pigeon, and it seemed like he didn't give a crap.

An outburst of laughter caught her attention. It was Alix, hands on her laps, as she bend in a loud cackle. Chloé saw her before as she was pretending to take control of Juleka, who came as Rogercop, tiny Alix in a Puppeteer costume standing above her on a chair and moving Juleka's hands in the air. At the same time Rose dressed as Pixelator was taking pictures of them. Now Chloé followed Rose's finger pointing to something behind her back. Clearly it was the source of Alix's amusement, so Chloé turned around to see for herself.

The sight had her startled on the spot. Because what was coming at her was no other than the horrid Kung Food, quickly striding in her direction with an evil grin on his face. Chloé's hand clutched at the pendant. She drew her breath and was about to scream when she remembered herself. This was not an akuma, this was one of her classmates. As he got closer she noticed that instead of blond hair poking from under a chef hat (that she still saw sometimes in her worst nightmares) he had a thatch of familiar red strands. His eyes weren't yellow but blue. Yet before she was able to relax she saw that he was holding something in front of him, as he carefully walked towards her. A bowl. Of _soup_.

Finally Nathaniel came to a stop in front of the weather girl and despite the devious smirk (which now Chloé saw was just his make-up) he managed to state in his most polite voice, 'You broadcast an impression of someone in dire need of soup, Chloé. And I would be more than happy to provide you with such delicacy'. He pushed the bowl into her unresisting hands, clearly taking advantage of her shock. Then the redhead bowed with his hands clasped in front of his face and left, while behind her Alix, Juleka and Rose howled bended in half with laughter.

 

***

 

At the same time Adrien, already in his outfit, loitered around the entrance to the ballroom, although in fact he was hiding. He was reluctant to go inside by himself, as his father had already spotted him and was looking at him with a rather peculiar look on his face.

Marinette finally arrived, late as usual. And as usual she tripped over thin air and bumped into him. Adrien caught her expertly and let out a sigh of relief.

'You're finally here,' he said helping her to regain her balance. Marinette's fists automatically went to her hips as she straightened up. It was almost an unconditioned reflex probably triggered by tight suits. For a moment Adrien looked puzzled, but shook it off quickly and said simply, 'I've been waiting for you.'

The girl cocked a suspicious brown. 'Oh. Why?'

'Well, since we ended up as the heroes for the evening I thought we could go in together?' he replied, absentmindedly rubbing the back of his neck. This rendered Marinette speechless for a moment, as the gesture was so out of place considering his costume.

'And let me just say, you look stunning, Marinette!' he flashed her a pleasant smile and a wink, waiting for an outburst of stammer. Surprisingly though it didn't come.

'Why, thank you. You're so sweet.' Marinette giggled as she looked at him. _'Oh boy, this will be beyond fun to see the look on Chloé's face,'_ she thought. And she noticed she didn't stutter at all. It must be the costume talking, definitely a boost in courage there.

 

***

 

'Seriously, I know she's supposed to be a weather girl, but there's too much 'u' and not enough 'ee' for it to be 'sleety' today,' Alya was commenting on Chloé's inappropriate outfit, while Nino, Alix and Max snickered beside her casting a glance at their hostess. The said hostess was lost in her thoughts as she counted under her breath, trying to recall all the people in her class. Including her there were twelve villains present in the ballroom at that moment. That meant the only ones to show up yet were the heroes.

Chloé's eyes skipped from classmate to classmate as she tried to figure out who wasn't there. Well, Adrien obviously and… she gasped at the sudden realization, her eyes already narrowing in anger… ' _Marinette!'_ Chloé growled through her gritted teeth.

At that precise moment the main door to the ballroom opened wide revealing two masked people in skin-tight suits standing in the doorstep. The taller one sported a black leather-like outfit with a bell under his chin and cat's ears pinned to a thatch of messy hair. The shorter was wearing a red spandex suit with black spots here and there, while her hair was split into two pigtails with red ribbons.

A susurration rolled past the ballroom. Chloé took one look at the pair in the door, growled wildly and stormed out through another entrance in a yellow blur, once again enraged to the bone.

Others just stared in astonishment at their super-classmates. There was an absolute silence. And then all guests broke into laughter, sincere, irresistible laughter. It was the kind of laughter that makes you forget all about akumas, traumatized or not. The laughter turned into applause, which subsided after a moment as the guests returned to their previous activities.

Adrien bowed to the audience, and turned to his partner, huge grin on his face 'By the way, nice platforms, Marinette. I don't think they suit Chat's costume, though,' he said looking utterly smug.

'Well, I don't like wearing them either,' Marinette murmured with amusement, 'But I figured Chat Noir should be taller than Ladybug. Don't you think?' She looked at him from an unusual perspective as her eyes were leveled with his. She was actually a bit taller now than he was. His green orbs sparkled with glee.

She looked him up and down again. As they were about to enter the ballroom she gave him a wink and said 'Those spots really look great on you…'

'I know.' Adrien replied with a proud smile.

'But the pigtails? Seriously, it's just too much!'

The boy grinned slyly. 'You gotta have them when you're Ladybug!'

He offered his arm to the girl. With mischievous glint in his eyes he wiggled his brows and asked in the most playful voice he could muster 'Are you ready to _chat_?

Marinette chuckled and replied 'Yes, _my Lady_.'

And then the world stopped for them. The words rang in their ears. Their brains were on fire, aflame with the sight of familiar eyes covered by wrong masks. Each consciousness was suddenly flooded by memories and flashbacks, forcing the mind to catalogue the similarities and premonitions, to analyze the consequences, up to the inevitable conclusion. Eventually their obliviousness started to dispel. The penny dropped.

They slowly turned to each other with eyes wide opened and shouted in unison 'Wait! What have you just said?! … '

**\- The En… -**

_nnnnnd…. you know what? I've changed my mind ;)_

.

..

…

Chloé ran through hotel's corridors and up to her room. She leaned on the door, shaking with rage. Had she kept her eyes opened, she might have had the chance to see a black and purple butterfly pushing its way through a keyhole. It landed silently on the pendant hanging around her neck and disappeared inside. A moment later a light butterfly-shaped shadow appeared before Chloé's eyes, and she heard a gentle, sympathetic whisper in her ears.

' ** _My poor girl. Wronged, mocked, humiliated, in spite of everything that you've done for them. They don't deserve you. You could be so much more if they just let you. But they don't see what I see in you.'_**

' ** _I can give you the power to avenge that humiliation and injustice. I can give you the abilities to fulfill your potential, to be who you always wanted to be, who you deserve to be. And all I require in exchange are just two little tokens of gratitude…'_**

A wicked smirk crawled onto Chloé's face when she croaked 'I'll gladly comply to your wish, Hawk Moth.' In just a few seconds she was covered in black and purple smoke coming from the pendant as that silent whisper continued in a voice now lined with malice.

' ** _Then go and show them who's the real hero around here… LadyNoir!'_**

…

..

.

**\- To be continued -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A question for you – if Mari is Chat, and Adrien is Ladybug, shouldn't the ship be called ChatBug instead of LadyNoir? xD
> 
> Feel free to let me know if you liked it? I'm dying to know!
> 
> Now prepare for the downpour of announcements…
> 
> I honestly planned to end this one right there where I wrote "The End". It was already written, proof-read, waiting to be posted, whatever. And then suddenly that idea struck me after reading a review on FF and it was too good an opportunity to waste it. Hence the decision to write more chapters (approximately 5). Though this is exactly the reason I'm so grateful for your comments, people! I get much inspiration from my readers, through reviews/comments, PMs, sometimes in very unobvious ways.
> 
> I want to thank you all for the support you've given me so far. It really meant a world to me, as this is my first fic ever.
> 
> That was the last chapter posted on FF net before the story went on hiatus. That hiatus should be over soon, if my work allows it. In case you miss me, I invite you to check my other fics here or on FF (including two chapters of a brand new ML detective AU I accidentally knocked up just before April Fool's Day) or find me on tumblr - I might feel inclined to ease occasional writers block by posting snippets of future chapters for my fics, so it might be worth to drop by sometimes :)
> 
> EDIT: If you're interested, I've posted the first two paragraphs of the next chapter on tumblr https://perditaalottachocolate-blog.tumblr.com/post/160164816478/the-party-chapter-11-sneak-peek


	11. The closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing like an Akuma to get the party going, eh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pssst! Ijustputithere andthenI'llrun beforemybossnotices I'mnotwriting thatsuperimportantreport.
> 
> Howaboutapiece ofAdrienette asawarm-up? Withjustatad ofLadyNoirforabettertaste xD
> 
> Ifanyoneasks youdidn'tseeme~

'My Lady?' Adrien croaked, his throat suddenly dry as sandpaper. The shock made his features freeze around the sly grin he wore just mere seconds ago.

'Gah!' Marinette was standing perfectly still and staring at him intensely. Her mouth formed a perfect O of surprise. At first she wasn't sure. But then she saw it. She saw Chat's smirk, all the more obvious thanks to the Ladybug mask currently covering his eyes. And as soon as she saw it, she couldn't unsee it. It was plain as day. This left her speechless, as inside her brain the pictures of Chat and Adrien clashed together, her own private slideshow. Her knees finally decided to take a break and she would have folded nicely onto the floor were it not for Adrien, who caught her and wrapped his arms around her waist to support her.

Unlike Marinette's his mind bounced back quite quickly, just like his alter ego namesake. The initial awe was soon replaced again by a Cheshire Cat grin.

'Found you!' he purred with satisfaction. 'I told you, when you see me without my mask you won't be able to resist me, Bugaboo.' Adrien gave her a shameless wink, marveling at the blush that adorned his Lady's – Marinette's cheeks and basking in her most definitely Ladybug scent of strawberries, vanilla and chocolate. Admittedly he was a bit worried about her reaction, not sure if it was a good sign that discovering his civil identity swept her of her feet. Still, he couldn't believe his luck. Not only that he found her, at last, but also she turned out to be Marinette, of all people! That was more than best case scenario.

But then their private bubble of reveal burst, as they heard a scream delivered by all too familiar voice. ' _ **MARINETTE** **AND ADRIEN**_ **!** _**WHERE ARE THEY?!**_ ' Yep, definitely Chloe, but her voice seemed a bit off.

They were still standing outside the ballroom, luckily partly hidden by the door. This allowed them to take a good look at the figure, that stomped through another entrance – the same Chloe had gone out not so long ago.

Her face was masked.

Her gaze was fierce.

Her bark was loud.

And her suit… well, it was tight and _extremely_ familiar.

The right side of the Akuma's body was clad in red with randomly placed black dots, while the left side was midnight black and leather-like with metal details like rivets at the joints. A long tail unraveled from the belt that encircled her hips, colored with red and black stripes. Attached to the belt were two weapons – a yoyo on the right hip, and a baton on the left. She had heavy boots, one red and one black, each ending with a silver tip. The mask covering her eyes was also split in half, the left side red with three black spots, the right side plain black – the colors opposite to the suit itself. A round pendant with coral and onyx yin-yang symbol rested under her chin, similar to Chat's bell. The intent of whoever designed the outfit was undoubtedly to mirror the layout of the pendant. The hair of the Akuma was split into low hanging twintails, but rather Stormy Weather's than Ladybug's style – just like Chloe's before she had met her second purple butterfly.

LadyNoir was now treading through the ballroom meticulously inspecting her surroundings, clearly looking for the duo, while the other students tried to get as far away from her as possible. Unfortunately they couldn't escape the room, as the Akuma blocked the other entrance and was keeping an eye on the main door, though thankfully still oblivious of the heroes' whereabouts.

'Ah, perfect timing, Hawk Moth. As always.' Adrien muttered under his breath.

Marinette blinked. She just couldn't move, her legs even now refusing to cooperate. Her already overloaded brain was still processing Chat's identity and being held closely by _Adrien_ did nothing to improve the situation. The presence of the Akuma was just too much.

The boy decided it was now his turn to take the lead. He promptly threw his currently black clad Lady over his shoulder and fled in a red blur just as the doors to the ballroom slammed shut.

Adrien knew the hotel layout by heart since his childhood times. He spent hours and hours playing hide and seek here with Chloe, so not only he knew his way around, but he also quite conveniently was aware of every nook, hideout and closet. Right now he was aiming for a coat room, which he knew was situated somewhere near the entrance to the ballroom.

 

*******

 

There was time and place in life for everything.

And Marinette knew, that right now it just wasn't the right time to melt into a pile of goo because that stupid cat turned out to be _Adrien Agreste!_ Although to be fair, the place _was_ perfect. It was dark, secluded and narrow. She couldn't see a thing, but she could sense that he was _very_ near, his proximity instantly making that damn blush on her cheeks grow exponentially.

'You're awfully silent, Bugaboo.' Marinette jumped at a painfully familiar whisper by her ear. She could feel his breath on her earlobe. Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod, it's just Chat, just Chat, just Chaaaat. Chat, who was her most trusted partner and friend. Chat, who'd been there when she was in danger, who had taken the blows intended for her. Chat, who'd been fighting by her side and flirting the life out of her those past few months. All Adrien! _'And you've kissed Chat,'_ her treacherous memory prompted. Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod. She kissed _Adrien Agreste!_ Gah! But… he doesn't remember it, right? _'And Adrien likes_ _Ladybug'_ sing-sung another thought while trespassing her sizzling brain. She was a mess. Where was her inner Ladybug when she needed her?

'Marinette! Get a grip on yourself already! You may be currently in Chat's suit, but you're still Ladybug.' She heard a tiny voice scolding her from the direction of her collar. Tikki. Finally the voice of sanity, her anchor in this madness.

'Right, kids. I can't believe I'm saying that, but don't you have an akuma to fight off?' Another, grumpy, unfamiliar voice provided his input. 'And afterwards we can all get together and talk about this over some nice cheese board. And better make it big.'

Okay. That was a bit weird, but Marinette supposed that must have been Chat Noir's kwami. And the cheese comment would probably explain, why in the world Adrien's cologne always seemed to have slight cheese overtones, present occasion included. Which in Marinette's opinion was a little disturbing. At least now she knew the reason. Thank god Tikki just had a sweet tooth, and living above the bakery helped a lot to appease that particular taste. Still, back to reality, shall we?

'Um. Sorry.' Marinette finally collected herself. With that, she reached behind and felt her way to the switch that her back was currently pressed against and she turned on the light.

Her eyes immediately fell onto a black blob hovering over Adrien's shoulder. The boy followed her gaze and went for a proper introduction. 'This is Plagg, my little ray of sunshine.' The said ray of sunshine snorted indignantly and turned away.

Marinette thought about Tikki and her cookies, then looked at Plagg and considered the cheese remark again. 'So he's the one responsible for all your cheesy lines?'

The question was directed at Adrien, but it was Plagg who gasped looking offended. 'I just like _eating_ cheese, thank you very much.' The kwami snapped acidly. 'He's the cheesy one on his own accord.' The little black cat pointed an accusatory finger at his Chosen.

'Oh, come on! My jokes are cat's pajamas!' the currently spotted feline hero exclaimed bursting with enthusiasm. 'And it takes a _purrr_ ticular kind of mind to make them up!'

'Whatever helps you sleep at night, catboy,' Plagg scoffed, but Adrien was still on cloud nine after discovering Ladybug's identity and definitely in a mood to show off. 'Let's see. I think now I would go with "Well, well, my Lady. I finally got you under my skin", ha!' He grinned suggestively eyeing Marinette's costume at the same time.

Plagg took only one look at the girl and with _purrr_ ticular revenge in mind decided it was time for a little tease. 'Sheesh, is that all you've got?' he said nonchalantly.

Poor Adrien just didn't see that one coming and he took the bait. 'What? Oh, no. I've got plenty of those.'

With that he raised his fist ready to count the puns on his fingers. 'Hmmm, it's too late to use the cat's pajamas line again. "Cat's got your tongue" is a bit obvious choice,' he unraveled a digit out of his red clad hand, 'but it would do nicely. Yet I can definitely do better than that. Oh, I know - "And to think it takes only one party to get you into my pants",' a second digit soon followed while Adrien grinned like a madman. 'Then there's a classic "Suit yourself" and "If I knew you were at the party I would _cat_ -er for you". But how about "Aren't you just snug as a bug in a rug in that suit?"…'

With each unraveling finger Marinette's face was slowly turning into a tomato. Right up to a point when she had enough.

'Whoah, Kitty. Hold your whiskers.' She put a finger on his lips, and screamed internally realizing he shuddered under her touch, his impossibly green eyes suddenly as big as saucers. Could it be he could dish it out but couldn't take it? Well then, two could play this game.

'I always thought the dominatrix look suited me more than it does you, so why don't you shut your sweet mouth while we think of a plan?' Marinette delivered the line in a perfectly composed and sassy voice. She had absolutely no idea where _that_ came from, but was more than pleased to notice how the fierce blush on her partner's face reached his ears, nicely matching the color of his mask. Adrien's gaze went to his feet, and a suddenly extremely bashful voice muttered. 'Um, sorry Ladybug.'

Plagg rolled down his Chosen's shoulder and flew to Tikki, snickering all the way. 'I already like her. Care to swap holders?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've promised you bad puns, so there they are xD I'm very curious what you think of that post-reveal scene?
> 
> Come and bother me on tumblr sometime (perditaalottachocolate-blog . tumblr . com). Lately I feel inclined to post sneak peeks of the chapters I'm working on. Strangely, it helps me to ease writer's block.
> 
> Next update depends entirely on my work. I hope to find some time to write, but my boss and the thing called real life might have other ideas.
> 
> Don't forget to tell me, if you liked this chap or not!


	12. The pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys! I’m speechless! More than 150 kudos is more than I could wish for, and comments and subscriptions and bookmarks, awwww. I’m melting here :) Thank you so much!  
> You just make my day, week, month each time I get another one of those. Thank you so much! Those signs of appreciation really get me going!  
> 

LadyChat and BugNoir were stuck in awkward silence, carefully ignoring the elephant of reveal in the coat room (though one would think in a confined space like that there was barely room for two teenagers, let alone the largest land mammal on the planet). Both their kwamis where on a reconnaissance mission on account of being tiny, able to fly, phase through walls and all.

‘So…’ Marinette said looking at her palms and rubbing her thumbs together. Judging by the intensity of her stare they must have been the single most interesting thing in the world.

‘So…’ Adrien echoed her words (or a word in fact).

‘Um, I… thank you. For bringing me here, I mean.’ Marinette stuttered. ‘I kind of spaced out back there. Sorry.’ She admitted sheepishly after a while.

‘Oh, any time, Bugaboo. Uh, I mean my Lady! No, I mean Marinette! Ugh. I guess it will take some time to get used to,’ Adrien said with a disarming smile.

‘I guess,’ Marinette sighed. ‘The sheer irony of this situation is just killing me,’ she said slipping down the wall to sit on the floor. She patted the spot next to her casting Adrien an inviting look.

‘Why is that?’ the boy replied plopping himself beside her and leaning on the wall.

‘I spent like three days worried sick that I might have to come as Ladybug and someone would discover my alter ego,’ she shrugged. ‘You have no idea how much effort it took to find somebody who’d trade lots with me.’

Adrien cocked a suspicious brown. ‘How is that possible? From what Nino’s been telling me everybody swapped lots. And apparently everybody swapped with Alya at least once, except for Chloe and me. Couldn’t you just trade with her?’

‘Uh-uh. I did trade with her first. She was the one who drew Ladybug, remember? She um… she p-practically forced me to take that lot. And then no one would swap with me because they were scared of Chloe.’

‘Hah, you have to give them some credit – they had a very good reason.’ The corners of Adrien’s lips quirked in amusement, and Marinette smiled back at him while he continued. ‘If there’s something new I’ve learned about Chloe when I started going to school it’s the fact that she is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Half of the akumas and LadyNoir out there being a case in point,’ he nudged his partner playfully in the ribs, happy he managed to coax a smile out of her. ‘But why did Alya force you to be Ladybug anyway?’

Marinette reddened and lowered her gaze to her feet. ‘Um, beats me.’ She mumbled.

‘Still, I have to admit it was a stroke of luck that I ran into you after Miss Bonfire attack,’ Adrien went on, unaware of her embarrassment. ‘Oh, wait. It wasn’t a stroke of luck or a coincidence, it was just Ladybug leaving after a battle.’ he chuckled. ‘Oh, man, could we have been more oblivious?’

‘Probably not,’ Marinette murmured gravely. ‘How come you ended with the Chat lot? I thought you traded with Nino.’

‘I did actually.’ Adrien snickered. ‘I thought Alya was going to be Ladybug, and I saw my chance.’

‘But Alya traded her lot with me so… oooh.’ Marinette looked up at him and smiled with compassion. She wasn’t the only victim of Alya’s hidden agenda.

‘Exactly.’ Adrien returned her smile. ‘When Nino realized Alya wasn’t going to be Ladybug, he traded with Sabrina. He was scared stiff that Chloe would manage to intercept Alya’s lot and he’d be stuck with her for the night.’

‘Okay, but how on Earth Sabrina made you take that lot again?’ Now Marinette was intrigued.

‘She didn’t.’ The boy shrugged. ‘Chloe tricked me to take it back.’ This finally made Marinette laugh out loud.

Adrien hushed her pressing a finger to his lips. They were supposed to be hiding. ‘Still, you have to admit this is kind of funny,’ he whispered.

‘What’s funny?’

‘I mean, I was also freaking out that someone might recognize me if I dress as Chat. When we traded the lots I thought I was just saved from that. And look at us,’ he concluded. ‘Surprise! It turns out the only person I should have been worried to recognize me would be my own partner.’ The boy shook his head.

‘Yeah, I see what you mean.’ Marinette agreed. ‘If there was anyone bound to know how you look in a mask it would be just Ladybug…’ she giggled again visibly relaxing, tension dropping from her shoulders.

It didn’t go unnoticed by her partner. ‘Um, good thing you’ve stopped freaking out, by the way.’ He confessed. ‘You’ve got me really spooked for a moment.’

‘Oh, believe me, Kitty. I haven’t finished freaking out yet. Not in the least. I just put it on pause. But do me a favor and don’t go anywhere near me for a while after this akuma is over. I might get like really loud and violent.’ Marinette risked a quick glance at her co-hero only to see his face broken in a wide grin. ‘What?’

‘You called me “Kitty”,’ he pointed out, his voice unexpectedly soft. ‘I… I like that. Please don’t stop, you know, because of this,’ he waved a hand gesturing between them. Marinette felt the heat on her cheeks. She looked the other way to hide her embarrassment. The girl noticed that she started to feel at least marginally comfortable. Whatever they had, whoever they were for each other in that moment, they still were friends and trusted partners. She had to remember just that. Adrien apparently felt the same, because he took her hand and started rubbing soothing circles on it with his thumb. The girl looked up at him, grateful for his calm. 

‘We really need to talk about this, though,’ she sighed. ‘When there aren’t any akumas in the neighborhood, I mean.’

Adrien was about to reply, when they heard an earsplitting scream just above their heads.

‘NOBODY MOVES!’

 

***

 

Marinette was rubbing the bump on the back of her head and cursing under her breath. Adrien held Plagg by his tail and whisper yelled threats at him. Tikki hovered next to them shooting worried glances at her charge and scolding her fellow kwami.

‘I told you, they were only talking, Plagg!’ she chided. ‘How could you do that?!’

‘Yeah, you were right again, Tikki.’ For once Plagg looked meek. ‘Sorry, Ladybug,’ he mumbled.

‘Why did you do that for anyway?!’ Adrien had no intention of letting the black kwami off the hook.

‘ _Whdabt…_ ,’ The little cat muttered under his breath.

‘What was that again?’

‘We. Had. A. Bet.’ Plagg drawled through gritted teeth.

Marinette’s head shot up so quickly, Adrien was afraid she got whiplashed. ‘About what?!’

‘That’s for me and Tikki to settle, and for you to never know.’ Plagg said darkly.

‘By the way, Plagg, you owe me a batch of cookies,’ Tikki chirped in. ‘I believe that’ll be ten by now.’

‘Should have known better than to lay a wager against the goddess of luck,’ Plagg grumbled hiding in Adrien’s collar.

Marinette shook her head still trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. Her whole head hurt after she hit the wall startled with Plagg’s sudden appearance. She was thankful for the generosity of hair in Chat’s wig – it buffered the hit to some extent. The noise of someone stomping on the corridor outside reminded her they were supposed to be saving the day. At that the adrenaline kicked in again, prompting her to get back to business.

 

***

 

‘So let me get this straight,’ Adrien recapped the news their kwami brought. ‘The hotel is cut off after someone activated the lockdown. There’s no way in and out. Our classmates are locked and arguing in the ballroom while LadyNoir is searching the premises for Marinette and Adrien?’

‘Yup, that pretty much wraps it up.’ Plagg nodded.

‘What do we do, then?’ Tikki asked looking expectantly at the heroes. Both of them were already deep in thought, you almost could hear the cogs turning.

Adrien was the first to come up with something. ‘Plagg, you think you could disable the alarm?’

‘And how would I do that?!’ the black kwami replied.

‘Well, I thought you could like phase through it or something?’ The boy explained in a hopeful voice.

The little cat rubbed his nose and puffed irritably. ‘If we ever find out where the control room is, I guess I could unlock it and enter or let you in. But I know nothing of electronics or how it works and with my luck kid, I could probably make things worse.’ He admitted gloomily. ‘And don’t even think of using cataclysm on it!’

‘I agree, it’s too risky.’ Tikki backed her fellow kwami up.

‘Okay then,’ Adrien sighed and slumped against the wall in resignation. He turned to Marinette. ‘Any other ideas?’

The girl hummed noncommittally, but it was evident, she had something in mind already. She sat with her eyes closed and concentration written all over her face. What assets did they have at their disposals? And what tasks at hand? Marinette opened her eyes when her brain finally registered Adrien’s question. She looked him up and down again and smiled. He really looked cute in Ladybug costume. He even bothered to wear the earrings. They were clips, of course, but a pretty accurate copy, just like her fake ring. The currently feline heroine had to admit, at the moment Adrien could pass as a quite convincing Ladybug lookalike. 

Oh sweet, sweet irony. This could just work…

By the sound of it their classmates needed a leader right now. They would need Marinette, it was her specialty. But she would need a distraction, and no one could beat Chat at that. Especially since he had just proved he knew his way around, which would be priceless considering Chloe’s home field advantage. So the only logical conclusion...

‘Okay, here’s the deal.’ Marinette slapped her hands together and stood up, motioning Adrien to join her. 'First, we need to make sure everybody is safe. I’ll try to sneak up to the ballroom and help them as I can, get them out of there. While you ChatBug will play tag with our LadyNoir to buy us some time. Don’t let her get out of the hotel. As long as she’s here, we can control the damage. More or less, but still.’

‘With you so far. But… ChatBug?’ Adrien raised his brown. Just a few minutes earlier to his utmost joy he was called Kitty, by _Marinette_ (which surprisingly added much to the nickname’s charm), and now she was mocking him?

Marinette apparently could read all that in his features as she smiled slyly. ‘May I remind you, _Kitty_ , that you’re currently dressed as Ladybug? Falling in and out of your transformation while you play should provide our Akuma with enough entertainment, at least for some time. You think you’re up to it?’ she casted him her most daring Ladybug look.

Relief softened his face. Of course Chat was always up for a challenge. He flashed her a toothy grin. ‘Well, my Lady. Your shoes are certainly big to fill in, but I think I can cope,’ he ended with a chuckle.

Marinette’s eyes narrowed, although a shadow of smirk hid in the corners of her lips. She leaned towards the boy in mock threat. ‘Are you suggesting I have big feet?’

‘On the contrary, my sweet Buginderella,’ Adrien gave her his most feline wink and scooted closer. Now their foreheads were almost touching. ‘Although right now your shoes are a bit on the high side, aren’t they?’ he snickered. ‘Besides, any suggestions on someone having big feet should be directed at me.’ He wiggled his brows and stretched his biceps. In Marinette’s opinion he was definitely having too much fun.

‘That was tasteless, even for you.’ Plagg commented sourly.

‘That’s okay,’ The girl cut in with a giggle. ‘I kind of walked right into that one,’ she admitted returning the wink. It wasn’t like she was getting no fun out of it. ‘But let’s go back to business, shall we?’

‘Right. You’re making friends in the ballroom, I’m playing tag with Chloe.’ Adrien sighed. ‘Like being six years old all over again,’ he said gloomily, although the comment earned him a snort from Mari.

‘Good luck with that,’ She laughed. ‘As soon as the rest of the class is safe, I’ll join you and we’ll wrap it up, okay?’

‘Sounds like a plan, my Lady. Well then, Plagg, let’s go.’ The boy rubbed his hands together. ‘We should start by heading to the kitchens. It will be far enough from the ballroom to give you guys a head start and we'll borrow some camembert to fuel Plagg through the tag game.’

The little cat was already taking his place in Adrien’s collar. The blonde registered with disgust that the kwami was drooling. ‘Do you think maybe we could find the one I got during the pigeon thing?’ Plagg licked his lips. ‘It was rather good as I recall.’

Marinette put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘One more thing, Kitty. Remember, the hotel is cut off. Our classmates are the only ones in. If Chat Noir and Ladybug appear out of the blue while we’re not there, people might get suspicious.’ She shook her head and muttered sarcastically. ‘God knows, they _should_ be or someone might think they’re like complete tools.’ This time it was Adrien’s turn to snort.

‘Anyway, whatever you do, make sure you end up being your civil self, okay? Let’s not make more reveals today, shall we?’ the girl concluded giving him an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. Adrien nodded and left the coat room. 

He looked around listening to any sounds betraying LadyNoir’s position. Nothing so far. He turned at the corner, and minding the security cameras ducked into a recess near the elevator to transform.

The feline hero inspected his suit. Instantly the image of Marinette’s costume popped into his mind and he felt the blush heating his cheeks. He hoped nothing important got short-circuited when his Lady had touched his lips to stop the pun logorrhea, though he felt like millions of volts had rushed through his body in that moment.

With that thought Chat Noir fled. He ran like there was no tomorrow and he knew that he needed it. He needed that akuma, and was almost thankful for it. Because he knew, that when the moment came when he would stop and actually _think_ about holding Ladybug so close like he did when the Akuma appeared, about knowing who she was under the mask and exchanging suggestive puns with her, he would definitely, definitely melt into a useless pool of black mush on the carpet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I promise now they're out of the closet and start actually solving problems. Three more chapters to go, guys!
> 
> Tell me, what you think of this one. Your comments make me happy and help me write better!
> 
> PS. Confession time: I literally cant' stop myself – I was going to finish this story a long time ago, and in the meantime a huge report and three other fics happened, including the detective AU, a one shot for MariChat May that now is somehow sprouting a second chapter, and… baaa dum tssss… a continuation of "The Party" (I'm serious, guys, first chapter is ready and shiny on my disc!). How am I supposed to get anything done is beyond me.
> 
> PS. PS. If you're curious of what happens next, visit me on tumblr (perditaalottachocolate-blog.tumblr.com) - from time to time I post sneak peeks of chapters I'm working on. And if you have a question or just want to chat, don't be shy! I really love it!


	13. The afterparty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlucky thirteen is actually a thing, cause this chap just wouldn't freaking cooperate! It was a nightmare, you have no idea!
> 
> Also: something must have happened during my little hiatus and somehow the length of my chapters grew. When I started this fic it was about 1-1,5k, now it's strangely recalibrated closer to 2,5-3k, which might be a partial explanation as to why this is taking me so looooong.
> 
> Anyway, I now proclaim Chapter 13 officially unblocked! Enjoy!

'Marinette? Are you okay?' Tikki asked her charge, rubbing her cute head against Marinette's cheek. The girl sat in silence, watching the now closed door through which Chat Noir – _Adrien_ , Marinette reminded herself – left a moment ago.

'As fine as I can be considering the circumstances.' The heroine grunted and picked herself up from the floor once again. 'I think he's gone now. Time for us to move on too.'

'You're handling it very well.' The red kwami admitted hovering over the girl's shoulder.

Marinette shrugged. 'It will take some getting used to, like Adrien had said.' She smiled, ' _Adrien_ , huh? Can you believe that?!'

'What do you mean?' Tikki asked carefully.

'I mean that all this time I wasn't even able to talk to him coherently, and it turned out I wasn't just talking to him, but bantering on the daily basis. And he was _flirting_ with me, for heaven's sake.' The girl whisper yelled exasperatedly and blushed, earning a pleasant giggle from her kwami.

'Well, no time for that now.' She raised on her toes to take a closer look at possible escape routes. 'Tikki, could you fly to the ceiling and look for any vents or something like that? I think air ducts would be an inconspicuous way to get to the ballroom, since the entrance is blocked.'

There was a red blur and then a quiet cry from above. 'Yes! I can see it. But it's high, you're not going to be able to reach it.' The sprite said sadly.

'That's okay, Tikki. Marinette can't reach it, but Ladybug can!' The girl exclaimed and wrinkled her nose. 'Besides I think I might need my superstrenght and superstealth while moving through the ducts.'

'Just remember your own advice, Marinette. Ladybug can get you to the ballroom, but once you're there, you have to de-transform.' Tikki reminded her Chosen.

'Don't worry. I'll be all right,' came a reply. 'But we'll have to restack on cookies once we're there. I might have to transform several times, like Chat.'

'You're right. Better safe than sorry.' The kwami nodded flying to the girl. 'Go on, Marinette. Let's get moving!'

'Yes, miss.' Marinette giggled. 'Tikki, spots on!'

And in just a few seconds Ladybug was making her way through the ventilating system of Le Grand. At first she was afraid, she wouldn't be able to find the ballroom, but soon the sounds of an argument reached her ears and all she needed was to follow them. When she thought she was directly over the source of the quarrel, she dropped her transformation, hid Tikki in her pocket and moved the vent aside.

A pair of blue eyes looked at her and Marinette squealed in panic, her eyes not accustomed to brightness of the ballroom after crawling through the dark ducts. The owner of the eyes also squeaked and wobbled while Marinette registered the halo of pink hair surrounding her face. Trying to regain her balance Alix caught Marinette's hand for support. But the cat-girl wasn't holding onto anything and Alix's grip made her slide on the slippery surface of the metallic duct. Marinette fell face first bracing herself for the inevitable contact with the floor three meters below. Fortunately something softened the fall so instead of hitting the ground, she was caught by strong arms, though not strong enough to support her and Alix. It still ended in a mess of limbs on the carpet, but was definitely less painful than Marinette predicted.

She untangled herself from the limbs not belonging to her and tried to identify the owners of the other arms, legs and heads poking from the mess. Pink hair meant Alix, she recognized the girl just before dropping from the ceiling. The bulky arms that had caught her mid fall were covered in something akin to chainmail. There was also a second mop of pinkish hair, this one consisting of dreadlocks. At the other end of the mess there were knight's boots and golden-black trousers with flames printed on them. Marinette didn't recognize any of those.

A grey gloved hand appeared in front of her face and she grabbed it to pull herself from the floor, just to stand face to face with Mr. Pigeon.

'Hi, Mari, you ok?' He asked carefully. There must have been a very strange expression on her face, because he looked extremely worried by the lack of recognition. 'You're sure you don't have a concussion? That was a pretty high fall.'

Finally Marinette linked the voice with the face, and when she heard Kim and Ivan groaning somewhere in the pile, she remembered they were at a costume party. She shook her head a few times.

'I'm fine, Max. Just a bit battered but okay. Thanks,' she said. 'But are you guys all right? Did LadyNoir hurt you?' The girl looked around the ballroom. Behind her other students came to help Kim, Ivan and Alix to their feet.

'We're fine. She just locked us in here and left. She was looking for you and Ad-' But couldn't finish as Marinette was swept of her feet and into a tight embrace of Simon Says.

 

***

 

Adrien ran through the corridors. A few times he caught a glimpse of the akuma but his knowledge of the hotel's layout allowed him to hide just in time. LadyNoir seemed equally keen on chasing Ladybug or Chat Noir. Judging by her cries, insults and threats she still acted under the assumption that she was chasing both Marinette and Adrien.

The boy was thinking intensively how to use it to his advantage. He was also worried about his partner because villainized Chloe was definitely more hostile towards him when he transformed into his feline hero self. If Marinette happened to encounter LadyNoir in her civilian form and dressed as Chat, it could be really dangerous.

Adrien was near the restaurant when he heard voices. Surely Plagg had said everybody had been locked in the ballroom? He exchanged worried glances with his kwami and silently called his transformation. Whatever that was it was better to face it having superpowers at his disposal. Immediately he reached for his staff and extended it, ready for attack.

Chat Noir casted last glance at the corridor. Yet his super sensitive hearing didn't pick up any signs of the Akuma. She was probably still looking for Marinette one floor below.  
He risked a peek inside the restaurant and was met with three pairs of surprised eyes. The mayor, his father and Miss Bustier were seated on the leather couches in the leisure section of the restaurant, enjoying some snacks and wine. Apparently they were oblivious of the akuma attack in progress.

' _Careful now, last thing you want is panic.'_ Chat thought to himself immediately deciding to retreat. But was it his tiredness or lack of concentration towards the three civilians, it resulted in him missing that there was someone else at the door. The moment he took a step back, the wing swung inwards revealing him fully to the adults. A nervous butler peeked from behind the door and gulped squinting at the end of Chat's staff hovering an inch from his nose, as the hero instinctively swiped it in his direction.

' _Woops, too late.'_ The thought passed through Chat's brain as his father, Mr. Burgeois and Miss Bustier simultaneously raised up from their seats.

'Chat Noir?!' They exclaimed in unison. They weren't stupid after all. Chat Noir wasn't known to have a habit of visiting restaurants after hours.

'Is there a problem?' The mayor was the first to deliver a coherent question.

'Um…' Adrien was at a loss, shifting his gaze from one adult to the other. They all looked extremely worried, including his father. Oh god, _his father_ was there. The boy shuddered at the recollection of their last encounter while he was suited up. To say that Gabriel wasn't cooperative at that time was like to say Hawk Moth was a mere nuisance.

Now Gabriel took a few steps forward, looking intently at the superhero. 'Chat Noir, is there an akuma in the hotel?'

'Yes.' Chat said trying to sound like he was in charge. 'But don't worry, everything is under control.'

'Where are the kids? Are they all right?' Miss Bustier asked, trying to keep her voice steady, although it slightly trembled by the end of her question.

According to the kwamis, his classmates were okay, and he didn't want the adults to worry, so he went for the truth. 'Yeah, they're still in the ball room. The lockdown was activated so they can't leave.'

The mayor turned in surprise and gaped, finally registering the metal shutters covering the restaurant's windows. 'I didn't know it was activated. Chloe must have done it. Where is she?'

Did Chat want to tell Mr. Burgeois who the Akuma was already? Not really.

'Um…' his helpful brain supplied.

Gabriel walked even closer to him, with a deep frown on his face. 'Chat Noir, my son was in the ballroom. Did you see him? Is he all right?'

Great. Where to begin explaining?

'Um…' The hero repeated eloquently.

By the mercy of the fate Chat was saved from answering all those questions himself, as an earsplitting shriek cut through the air.

' **MARINETTE! I SAW YOU RUNNING THIS WAY, YOU WON'T HIDE FROM LADYNOIR!'**

 

***

 

'Marinette! You're all right!? Thank god!' Alya was shaking and sobbing. 'I was so scared! Please forgive me. If I had known the whole swap would vex Chloe like that I would never, ever do that to you! I should have known how much she wanted to be Ladybug. I should have predicted this could end in an akuma!'

'It's okay, Alya. I'm fine, I promise.' Marinette replied, hugging her best friend back, and patting her on the back trying to calm her down, but to no avail. Alya cried and choked on her tears as she kept on repeating 'I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!'

Finally Marinette pulled out from her embrace to look her in the eyes. The Mime in Nino's glasses stood beside them, resting a hand on Alya's shoulder. 'Relax, babe. Marinette and Adrien had their share in Chloe's state too, you know. True, Chloe wanted to be Ladybug, but she also wanted for Adrien to come as Chat Noir,' Nino said. For a mime he was quite talkative. 'Mari and Adrien swapping the heroes was probably what ticked her off the most. She must have felt offended that you rejected something she wanted so much and that Adrien ruined her plan even more when he decided to dress in a girl's costume.' He chuckled at the thought of his best friend in red spandex.

'You're probably right,' Alya said finally calming down.

'Of course, I'm right, babe.' Nino smiled at her. 'Speaking of my bro, thank you for making him the happiest man alive, Mari.' The boy added shooting Marinette with a finger gun.

There was an awkward moment of silence when the girl stiffened trying to establish, what was he talking about? Did Adrien have the time to spill the beans? Would he even do that? No, that wasn't possible. Nino couldn't have known about Adrien's secret identity, nor about Marinette's. But whatever page Nino was on, it definitely wasn't Marinette's page.

'What do you mean?' she said weakly casting a worried glance at Alya. Her friend shook her head. She was as dumbfounded as Marinette herself.

'Didn't you know? Adrien worships Ladybug! He's like her _number one_ fan in whole Paris. And yes, even with Alya and Chloe in the picture, he still is number one.' Nino pulled Marinette closer and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. 'Just between us I think he might have a crush on her, but if anyone asks I didn't tell you that.' He winked.

'Um… what?' Marinette's brain caught words like "Adrien", "worships", "fan" and "crush", added Chat's flirting to the picture and then clearly ceased working. Nino nudged her in the ribs.

'You swapped with him and he got to go to the party as his favorite superhero! I'm surprised he didn't explode with joy!' The boy snickered and then glanced at the vent through which Marinette dropped a few moments earlier. 'By the way, where is he?'

'Um…' Marinette mumbled. Everyone went quiet, even Alya stopped sniffing.

'If he was coming through the ducts after you shouldn't he be here already?' The boy scratched his neck nervously. 'You guys were together before LadyNoir locked the door, right?'

Marinette never felt more exposed. In the eyes of their colleagues Adrien was just a teenage boy and now he was outside with an akuma chasing him. She couldn't tell them he had his miraculous and his superhero wits to protect him. That she trusted him not only to take care of himself but to help anyone in his way. But they mustn't know all that. In fact the less details the better.

'I'm sorry,' she finally said. 'He's… He saved me earlier but we got separated. He's somewhere out there.'

'Oh, god. I killed Adrien.' Alya said horrified. 'LadyNoir is going to pulverize him and it's all my fault.' She hid her face in her hands and started sobbing again.

'Actually…' Nathanael cut in shyly, patting his Kung Food's stuffed belly. 'I probably shouldn't have teased her with the soup thing.'

'And we've been laughing and commenting on her costume. That wasn't nice either.' Rose admitted.

There were a few nods and 'yeah's from the other students. They already had come to the conclusion that that evening Chloe unintentionally got too much to chew.

There was a loud sob from the direction of the T-rex Sabrina. Juleka was by her side, her arm around the girl's shoulders. 'See. You didn't do anything, Sabrina,' she reasoned with her classmate, giving her a light squeeze, but the girl didn't listen.

'I should have done _something_!' Sabrina lamented through her tears. 'I knew what was her plan. But I swear to you that she was calm when the party started. She was furious two days ago, but she sort of got a grip on herself.' The girl loudly blew her nose. 'I should have kept her calm. It's my fault! If I was with her all the time I could do something.'

A few new voices joined them, some pointing out that they were responsible too, some disagreeing, some trying to cheer others up. Soon it all turned into yet another quarrel and Marinette finally knew what the kwamis had been talking about when they had come back from their reconnaissance. Now that was her job to coax her classmates into some sort of order.

'OI! GUYS!' She yelled, but with no results. She tried again. 'GUUUUYYYYS! PLEASE STOP!' Still zero effects.

The class president climbed onto a chair, raised her hands to her face and screamed at the top of her lungs. 'EVERYBODY SHUUUUT UUUUUUP NOOOOOOW!'

Marinette was sure her throat would be sore tomorrow but at least there was finally silence.

'Thank you.' She said still standing on the chair. 'We can play the blame game later, okay? Now we need to think of a way out.'

She was answered with a range of grunts and nods. 'Great. Now tell me, what had happened here?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. I'm finally unblocked. Good news is – as I fought with this stubborn chap, I've actually moved to the next two hoping that they would help me unblock the story. And guess what? They did! Which means, that next two chapters are almost ready, they just need proofreading and plot hole crosschecking!
> 
> Soooo, if you're interested in reading them sooner than in a week or two, you just have to let me know ;) I'm not gonna sit on them - if you want them that is… but after fighting with the 13th for so long I'm kind of low on motivation. Maybe you can think of something to help me up?
> 
> Also: because of the thing about recalibrating with chapters' length I had to divide the chapters I had already planned differently, and now it's clear that the story will end with 16 chapters, not 15 like I told you before.
> 
> Also also: visit me on tumblr, I post sneak peeks of my WIP there from time to time, so you know what's coming. I also like to chat or discuss any doubts or complains my readers might have ^^


	14. The difficulties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I've said, I'm not going to sit on those last chapters. But I'd love to hear your opinion on them.
> 
> Those last three chaps are definitely more action than dialogue, so I'm curious how you'll find them.  
> Thank you for your kudos, bookmarks and especially for comments. They make me really happy!

' **MARINETTE! I SAW YOU RUNNING THIS WAY, YOU WON'T HIDE FROM LADYNOIR!'**

'Uh-oh,' Chat squeaked. 'Gotta go. Stay here and it will be all right.' He ordered looking directly at his father.

'But…' Gabriel was about to demonstrate his non-existent cooperative inclinations.

'Do as I say!' Chat yelled irritably and ran to the kitchens.

Just as he was disappearing through the back door the Akuma walked to the restaurant like she owned the place. The corner of her lips curled into an unpleasant grimace and that was all it took for the mayor to connect the dots.

'Chloe?! My sweetheart?!' Mr. Burgeois dropped to the couch, shell-shocked.

' **Chloe is gone.** ' The akuma said ominously. ' **I'm LadyNoir, the only superhero Paris needs.'** She raised her head even higher sweeping the surroundings for her targets. **'Now excuse me, I have a score to settle with Adrien and Marinette, before Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive to take my full attention.'**

'What do you want from Adrien?' Gabriel asked defiantly, his hands clenched to fists at his sides, his knuckles white.

LadyNoir looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and spite. ' **None of your business, old fool. He rejected me, he mocked and humiliated me and now he's going to pay for it**.'

She walked to him slowly raising her clad in black left hand, malicious gleam in her eyes. Yet before she was able to do anything, there was a loud crash from the direction of the kitchens, and a voice cried in not very successful falsetto.

'Cooeeee, LadyNoir, looking for someone?' Then a shadow of someone dressed in black suit flashed to the corridor and disappeared at the entrance to the staircase.

' **There she is! Marinette!** ' LadyNoir growled and ran to the door, leaving the adults stunned.

Gabriel was the first one to come to his senses. He gripped the mayor's arm. 'Andre, we have to do something!'

Mr. Burgeois silently nodded in determination. 'Let's see if I can cancel the lockdown, and then we'll check if the children are all right. The two men headed for the door only to find Miss Bustier standing in their way, her arms crossed over her chest. She was giving them her most displeased look.

'Gentlemen, Chat Noir clearly told us to stay here. Haven't you heard?' she said, tapping her foot.

Gabriel Agreste and Andree Burgeois exchanged glances. Then the fashion mogul bowed to the teacher and stated through his clenched teeth. 'I've heard what Chat Noir had said, Miss Bustier. But after that I also have heard the Akuma claiming she was going to _hunt_ my son to teach him a lesson. I'm not going to stand here and wait for Adrien to come to harm. If there's anything I can do to save him or to help with the Akuma, I _will_ do this. Chat's opinion on that matter as well as yours were fully noted, and duly ignored. Now with all due respect, let us through.'

 

***

 

Marinette listened to her classmates updating her on the events of the evening and her eyes grew wider and wider, while her hearth got lighter and lighter. She had to admit she was impressed. Though her classmates seemed a total mess when she joined them, they actually managed to do quite a lot considering their predicament. If other Parisians were like those specimens here, her superhero job would be much easier.

'We have a plan, Marinette.' They told her.

'It's more of a bunch of plans fastened together,' Alya whispered in her ear. 'But it's a bunch of great plans, mind you.'

'We thought it up, when we realized that all the connections are down. No internet and no cell reception.' Max explained offering his zero-bar wifiless phone as exhibit A. 'We think the akuma did that, but it may as well be a part of the lockdown. You know, Faraday cage,' he lowered his glasses casting her a knowing look. Marinette returned a blank one. Out of the two of them it was Chat who knew anything about physics. She took a mental note to ask him later who that Farah guy was and what did he use his cage for. Although if she knew Chat (and up till that day she liked to think she knew him pretty well), he probably would just wiggle his brows and say it was a good place to keep Schrödinger's cat.

'I'm pretty sure the picture of LadyNoir I tried to upload when she arrived could possibly get through since I submitted it just before the lockdown.' Alya boasted in Marinette's ear. 'Alas, there's no way to check if it got anywhere.'

'We figured that this can go on for a while since there's no way to let Ladybug and Chat Noir know there's an akuma in here. Maybe they've seen the picture, maybe not.' Max continued, choosing to ignore Alya's constant commentary, but she interrupted him once again.

'So we've decided to help Ladybug and capture Chloe for her!' The redhead exclaimed excited. 'And maybe even take the akumatized object.' The girl concluded dreamily earning an annoyed and above all skeptic snort from Max.

Marinette choked on her own spit. 'H-how?' she uttered in a high squeak.

'We were going to set a trap in here and trick her to get her caught.' Alix cut in, angry that Max and Alya had stolen the show.

'That was Alix's part,' Kim said. After all it was their joined plan and he would be damned if he let all the credit go elsewhere. 'According to Sabrina Chloe has a collection of Ladybug and Chat Noir costumes.'

'Um… for cosplaying, you know.' Sabrina explained shyly.

'So we figured, we could get those and trick LadyNoir into thinking that Ladybug and Chat had arrived.' Kim proudly continued. 'We could easily lead her to our trap.' He waved a hand in the direction of the catering tables.

Some of the tables had been cleaned of food and put together forming a large workbench, which now sported a wide collection of materials – drapes, tablecloths, ropes, cables, cutlery – anything their classmates could find and put to use to construct their trap.

'I was supposed to bring the costumes. I'm the smallest so I thought it would be easier for me to come through the ducts to Chloe's room.'

'It definitely would be easier to lift her to the vent than some other volunteers.' Max said eyeing Kim reproachfully.

'Oh, come on.' Kim groaned. 'I'm not letting her go alone with the akuma out there!'

'Well, excuse you!' Alix roared crossing her arms over her chest. 'You're not _letting me_?! Since when do you have a saying in what I do?!'

'Since you're my friend and I don't want you to get hurt!' Kim shouted back pouting.

'He's got a point, you know.' Said Nathanael putting his hand on Alix's shoulder. The girl poked a finger up to the knuckle into his stuffed fat belly. 'Wanna get stuck in there with me, chef?' she rebuked and made a face at him.

The new quarrel escalated pretty quickly from this point, when other girls joined Alix to back her up and other boys decided to act overprotective in the general spirit of chivarly.

Marinette let out an exasperated groan. She could feel the migraine coming. Max tugged at her hand leading her in the direction of the main entrance. He motioned Ivan to join them.

'So the last thing our plan lacks is an idea how to unblock the door.' He said pointing at the solid wood in the far end of the ballroom. 'Kim and Ivan tried to do something but when they've managed to take it off the hinges…' Max signaled to his classmate, and Ivan slid one wing aside. '… they've found _this_.'

 

***

 

 

Adrien was on the run again. So far he was successful in keeping LadyNoir away from the ballroom and he was getting plenty of healthy exercise in return. Too much to his liking.

The boy had to admit there were downsides to the plan that they didn't foresee. Plagg was already half way through his hoard of camembert and they couldn't stock up anymore. Chat had to use cataclysm near the hotel pantry and the ceiling fell cutting the way to their potential supply.

Now they had to save the cheese so he tried to run mostly in his civilian form, as Ladybug. But unlike the Akuma provided with magically sustained stamina, when out of miraculous suit Adrien was getting tired. Soon he wouldn't be able to outrun the villain outside of his transformation.

But he could still play tag for now. He had to. As long as the akuma was chasing him, Marinette was safe. He knew in due time Ladybug would join him and banish Hawk Moth's butterfly once again. Considering he already had figured out where the akuma had hidden, it would be a piece of cake. But for now he was glad his Lady was far from trouble.

Adrien's thoughts ran to Marinette again and he started to catalogue all their encounters that were dead giveaways as to her superhero identity, yet somehow he hadn't picked up on them. His mind occupied, he let his legs lead the way, which turned out not to be the best idea as the boy found himself in a dead end containing only one door belonging to a supply closet.

He was followed by heavy footsteps and a string of profanities coming from the corridor just round the corner. The Ladybug double ducked into the closet praying for the akuma to turn back. He transformed just in case but stood still, searching for any suspicious sounds. When there weren't any, he risked a quick glance to the corridor.

LadyNoir stood by the corner effectively cutting his way out. Her smug grin was threatening to rip her face in half. Hands on her hips she eyed him up and down.

'Well, well.' She hissed. 'Looks like the real Chat Noir finally graced us with his presence. I know a cataclysmed ceiling when I see one.'

' _Damn.'_ Adrien forgot he was supposed to be his civilian self should he encounter anyone. Well, too late to regret the transformation now. At least he stood a chance against the Akuma.

'Hey, Two Face.' He greeted her with his most annoying smirk. 'Go and bug some other cat, although it seems you already have.'

LadyNoir howled at the insult, but before she could even move Chat Noir already summoned another cataclysm and was dropping to his feet one floor below.

 

 

***

 

Marinette watched Alix disappearing in the ceiling, after Kim finally backed down under the steely pressure of the supposedly weaker sex. He sulked in the corner casting reproachful glances Alya, Juleka, Rose and Mylene.

The currently cat-girl had suggested Alix should fetch the costumes as quick as possible. She didn't want Chat to run there on his own and she needed a cue to leave the ballroom and transform. The girl went to the catering tables where the rest of the group was working on the trap under Max meticulous supervision. Marinette nodded to him, then slipped a cookie down to her pocket and walked to the door.

She pretended to inspect the mass of furnishings blocking the way out. Judging by the density of this construction LadyNoir had used some super heavy lifting and squeezing. Yet the barricade was not really that much of a problem despite Max's pessimism. Granted, they would have a hard time trying to remove it from either side, but Marinette already had a solution that didn't require any work on their end. One well-timed cataclysm should do the trick nicely. Of course her classmates still operated under the assumption that they would have to dismantle the barrier after finishing with the trap.

Making sure she was out of hearing rage Marinette turned to face the door and opened her pocket.

'Pstt, Tikki!'

The red sprite carefully peeked out of the black suit. 'What is it, Marinette?' She whispered back.

'I need you to find Chat and tell him about our plan.' The girl explained. 'I need him to cataclysm the main door in about 30 minutes from now. You think you can find him and get him here in this time?'

Tikki hesitated. She didn't really like the prospect of leaving Marinette alone while she played carrier-pigeon, but without cell reception and the possibility to transform her Chosen had limited options to contact her partner. Yet what worried her the most was the idea to let civilians into the fight. It wasn't Ladybug's style at all.

'Marinette, are you sure about this plan?' The kwami finally voiced her concern. 'You don't know what powers LadyNoir has. She could hurt them.'

'I'm sure, Tikki.' Marinette gently patted Tikki's head. 'This isn't the actual plan, though. I just wanted them to be occupied with something. But I really do need Chat to cataclysm us out of here.' She admitted. 'Once I'm outside and suited up, I'm not letting LadyNoir anywhere near the ballroom. We'll just have to improvise as usual. I'm sure something will come up.'

'I'm glad to hear that, Ladybug.' The red sprite sighed in relief preparing to leave.

'Be careful.' Marinette called after her.

'You too.' Tikki whispered back. 'I'll be right back.' She took a deep breath and phased through the barricade.

 

***

 

 

Chat Noir was nearing the restaurants again in hope of finding some more cheese. He was tiptoeing lightly, praying for LadyNoir not to hear the beeping of his ring. He looked around the corner and saw red. Literally, as Tikki crushed frantically into his face.

'Oh, Chat. I'm so sorry.' She mumbled rubbing her nose.

'Not your fault, Tikki. Is Marinette coming too?' Chat asked peeking to the corridor Tikki just crossed. It was Marinette-less which instantly got him worried. 'Is she all right?'

'She's fine, I promise.' The red kwami nuzzled his cheek affectionately. 'You care about her, don't you?'

'Of course. She's my partner.' Chat replied, a pink coat of blush darkening his cheeks.

Tikki giggled at the sight, but then turned to look at his miraculous which gave its final warning. 'Chat, you have to hide quickly!'

'Right.' The boy chose a random hotel room and leaped inside, followed by the red sprite. He barely managed to close the door, when his transformation faded and Plagg zipped out of the ring. In a split of a second the black cat was at Tikki.

'Why aren't you with your Chosen?!' He whisper yelled at his fellow kwami. 'That Akuma is as mad as a hornet! How could you leave Marinette alone?!'

Tikki narrowed her eyes. 'You think I don't know that?!' She chided. 'I have a message for Chat Noir. Ladybug needs his help!'

Adrien interrupted before the kwami got into a row. He was determined to know what his Lady wanted him to do. Now he listened to Tikki as she presented the plan his classmates had come up with, while a silent Plagg was angrily chewing his last piece of camembert. Things were getting complicated and risky. The boy mused that he had to think about his own device, just in case something went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, things are getting complicated. Oh boy, just wait till the next chapter - a very good application of Murphy's Law. I'll try to post it in 2-3 days.
> 
> Also - how many of you actually know what a Faraday Cage is? or Schrödinger's cat for that matter? xD
> 
> Anyways... Please leave a comment if you can. This author likes to know what you think!


	15. The trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> High five to those of you who know their physics!
> 
> For those still wondering what Faraday cage is - it is the reason you're safe in your car during storms (provided lightning won't strike fuel tank directly) or why you don't have cell reception in some elevators. You're welcome ^^ I'll remember this forever because of my high school physics teacher. Ages ago she demonstrated this by putting my friend's hamster in a cage and plugging the said cage to electrical outlet. An experience like that tends to sticks in your mind xD
> 
> As to Schrödinger's cat - go and google it, this note got too long ;)
> 
> Now a warning: this is the most angsty chapter in this fic. Some unpleasant things happen to some people, but nothing very serious (nobody dies or anything like that, I promise!). After all what would be the point of having a villain if she didn't do villainy deeds. Consider yourself warned.
> 
> This is also my favorite chapter so far, as most of the plot lines finally meet. Hope you'll like it as well!

After almost half an hour they were all set.

A cunning construction of tables, chairs, drapes, ropes and other objects was occupying the center of the ballroom, with Kim and Ivan ready to put it to use when the time came.

To Marinette's relief Tikki was the first one to return. She was safely tucked in her pocket and munching on another cookie by the time Alix came back with her loot – two Ladybugs and two Chat suits. Despite Kim's objections there wasn't really a question as to who will serve as bait and who will stay to operate the trap. The main decisive factor was costume size – they were simply too small to fit most of the students. Alix became a self-proclaimed Ladybug even before she dropped from the vent. She put on one of the suits right after obtaining it (as she explained it was easier to crawl back with one less item to carry) and then refused to take it off, despite the fact that it was too large for her. The other three volunteers were Sabrina, Rose and Nathanael, still driven by guilt towards Chloé.

Marinette, desperately in need of an excuse to leave the ballroom, volunteered to be the fifth decoy. Although it should be obvious considering her own costume, the boys still tried to oppose. She shushed them with a stern look.

'Don't even think about it.' She uttered quickly. 'I'm partly responsible for this too and LadyNoir is looking for me so I'm perfect bait.'

'Girl, that's exactly why we don't want you to go!' Nino said. 'She might hurt you, you know.'

'She might hurt any of us.' Marinette countered. 'But I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to Adrien. I want to help.' She fixed them with her most confident Ladybug stare and there were no more objections.

Right on cue they heard steps in the corridor, a muffled cry that only Marinette recognized and suddenly the pile of furnishings blocking the entrance crumbled to dust.

 

***

 

Chat Noir was hoping he could get to the ballroom undetected, do his job and then help to lead LadyNoir somewhere else, as far from the students as possible – decoy or not. This should give Marinette enough time to transform and join the fight. Alas, he wasn't that lucky. The Akuma was on his tail the moment he parted his ways with Tikki. It took a good deal of meandering, dodging and an awful lot of running to gain just enough distance to cataclysm the barricade into nothingness before he would get caught.

From then he was on his final timer, sprinting through the corridors again, desperately looking for a place to detransform and set his own plan into action. Upon hearing the fourth warning beep he noticed he wasn't being chased anymore. At first he was relieved, as he desperately needed even the shortest breather. But then he remembered the scheme his classmates came up with and suddenly he got a pretty good idea why LadyNoir wasn't running after him. Not good.

He ducked into another supply closet upon the final warning from his miraculous and dropped to the floor to let his legs have some rest.

'Any cheese left?' Plagg asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Adrien shook his head. 'We ran out of.' He paused, his gaze fixed on his ring finger. 'Sorry, buddy.'

The kwami raised his head, suddenly getting a bad feeling about it. 'Why are you sor- Oh, no you won't!' He hissed baring his teeth at the sight of Adrien removing the red glove from his right hand.

'I need to help Ladybug, Plagg.' The boy murmured not meeting Plagg's gaze.

'No, kid. Don't you dare!' The black sprite was already in front of his Chosen's face and furiously waving his paws. 'It's a suicide!'

'Sorry, Plagg.' Adrien repeated sheepishly sliding the miraculous from his finger. 'You know there's no way to get more cheese now. But Marinette needs me.' He said handing the ring to his kwami.

'Take it to Ladybug, okay?'

'NO!'

'You know it's the safe thing to do.' The boy reached out to scratch the sprite behind his ears in an attempt to placate him. 'Chloé is hunting me right now. I'm the target and I can't transform. If she catches me with that ring it will be like handing Hawk Moth my miraculous on a silver plate.'

Plagg snorted defiantly and crossed his paws over his chest, nose high up and eyes like little slots.

'Please, Plagg.' Adrien pleaded still holding the ring between his shaky fingers. 'We'll see each other in just a few minutes. It'll be all right, I promise.'

The kwami looked into the boy's eyes, but he saw only the calm courage and honest determination, those traits that made him such a good fit for Chat Noir. He nodded silently and took the ring.

 

***

 

Marinette was the last one out of the five volunteers to leave the ballroom. She didn't get very far but returned to the cloak room to transform.

As the pink light faded a familiar voice whispered by her ear, 'Hello, Ladybug. I've been looking for you'.

 

***

 

Mr. Agreste and Mr. Bourgeois were slowly edging the corridor leading to the security room, with Ms. Bustier in the rear. After a brief discussion on the topic of leaving the restaurant (which Ms. Bustier had lost), they had another one concerning their goals and route (which Mr. Bourgeois had won). They were on their way to call off the lockdown as the security facility was much closer to their initial location than the ballroom itself. Gabriel wasn't pleased with this decision as he opted for checking on the kids first. Now he was openly arguing with the other two, as it turned out that Chat Noir had wrecked the most direct route with his Cataclysm and they had to find another way.

'I told you we should go to the ballroom first, André.' The fashion mogul seethed with anger. 'Thanks to you we've just lost time!'

'You know perfectly well Gabriel, that I couldn't have predicted the corridor would be blocked.' The Mayor tried to defend himself. 'Anywa-'

'Gentlemen, please.' Miss Bustier raised her hand. 'I think I hear something.'

All three of them stopped dead in their tracks, as they heard the unmistakable sound of running feet. Gabriel risked a glance round the corner and was swept of his feet by someone clad in red suit.

'Ladybug?' The Mayor exclaimed in relief. 'Finally! I need your he-' He trailed off seeing as Mr. Agreste helped the person to their feet and then hesitantly grasped their shoulder pulling them closer.

'Adrien?!' Gabriel sighed. 'What are you doing here? Why were you running?'

'There's an akuma in the hotel…' the boy replied panting heavily. 'I was just-'

'Forget it. We're leaving.' His father interrupted. 'André, let's find that damn security room and get us out of here.' He ordered.

But before Adrien even had time to open his mouth to protest, a yoyo wrapped around his waist tying his arms to his sides.

' **Gotcha**!' LadyNoir spat. ' **Stop running, Ladybug**!' She pulled the string and Adrien found himself at her feet.

 

***

 

Ladybug listened to Plagg's explanations fidgeting nervously. She was supposed to be fighting the Akuma right now and luring her as far from her classmates as possible. Instead she had yet another obstacle to work around.

She cursed under her breath. Chat was always quite a drama queen and adamant on keeping her safe. She didn't like his decision to serve as a miraculous-less bait, but she was faced with fait accompli and had to roll with it. Though now it was even more important for her to finally get to her superhero job.

Marinette took the ring and gently stroked the despondent kwami. An idea struck her.

'Plagg, I need you to listen very carefully. Here's what we'll do…'

 

***

 

Adrien, wrapped in the yoyo string and at the Akuma's feet watched in horror as a butterfly-shaped glow appeared on LadyNoir's face. She seemed to be engaged in some sort of discussion.

Gabriel didn't waste time. In one swift motion he launched himself at the Akuma but she noticed him. She took the baton from her left hip and threw it effortlessly at the man's feet, laughing as he stumbled and fell next to Adrien.

' **How foolish,** _'_ the villain tsked. ' **Now stay put or I'll break your legs**.' Then she turned her attention to Adrien.

' **Give me your miraculous, Ladybug. Now!** ' The command was as sharp as a razor.

The boy stared at her shell-shocked. Apparently he was too tired to comprehend everything that was happening. He still had trouble to believe his father was worried about him to the point to actually touch him or attack a supervillain to protect him. The fact that the Akuma apparently thought Adrien was the real Ladybug rendered him speechless.

' **Fine. I'll take it myself then,** ' he heard her saying as she reached down to his fake earrings. Satisfied LadyNoir took the jewelry and closed it in the palm of her gloved hand.

' **I've got the first miraculous, Hawk Moth _._** ' She grinned eyeing the two people at her feet. The purple butterfly glowed over her face again and the grin dissolved into a scowl. She took a look at the earrings and then at the person she thought was Ladybug.

The black boot that stomped next to Adrien left a dent in the floor. The boy found himself being raised by his ear and then looked straight into icy blue eyes of LadyNoir. ' **Well, hello _Adrien_ ,**' she drawled, her lips curling in a humorless smirk.

'Leave him alone!' Gabriel once again rushed to the Akuma. She pushed him with her free hand and he flew a good few meters before landing next to the stunned Mayor and Ms. Bustier.

' **I've had enough of you**.' LadyNoir growled nearly frothing at her mouth. She got a better grip on her hostage with her left hand while with the right one she tossed her yoyo up in the air shouting the spell.

' **Lucky Harm**!'

With a strange paralyzing kind of horror Adrien thought that the pun was to be expected. She was part Chat after all and Hawk Moth himself also had a strange inclination towards wordplay. The boy watched as a mysterious black and red device dropped into LadyNoir's hand. She aimed it at his father and fired. A swarm of ladybugs shot in Gabriel's direction. Adrien couldn't see what happened next, because the Akuma turned on her heels and dragged him along the corridor leading to the ballroom. But judging by horrified gasps of Miss Bustier and the Mayor or by his father's groans, it was nothing pleasant.

 

***

 

When the real Ladybug finally emerged from the cloak room to lure the villain away from the students, she found her task pointless. The Akuma was currently stepping into the ballroom dragging someone in a red costume with her, while four other people dressed in superhero suits walked backwards in front of her with their hands in the air.

The heroine felt her blood run cold when she heard Max calling to Kim and Ivan 'Abort! Abort! She's got Adrien!'

Ladybug grabbed her yoyo and tossed it up summoning her Lucky Charm, all plans be damned. Then with a red butterfly net in her hands that seemed infinitely useless at that very moment she made a beeline for the entrance, pure hot vengeance flooding her mind.

'Hey, Catbug!' She yelled reaching the door. 'Missed me?'

LadyNoir slowly turned around and looked at her with a spiteful gleam in her eyes.

' **It's been more than five minutes since Chat Noir used his cataclysm, Ladybug. Looks like your precious cat won't be coming to your aid. It's just you, me… and this nice young man**.' She pointed at Adrien jerking in her grasp. Then the purple glow appeared on her face again as she turned her eyes towards Ladybug's hands. She listened for a second and nodded widening her grin.

**'Now I have an offer to make. And you better think _very carefully_ before refusing. Unless of course you don't care what happens to your handsome lookalike.'**

Ladybug watched in horror as the Akuma held Adrien tightly pressed to her chest in an iron grip that would definitely cause some serious bruising to his ribs and arms. It was pure agony to watch him suffer, being used as a human shield, once again reduced by Chloé to serve as an object for her selfish purposes.

This was a horrible déjà vu. This was Volpina all over again. But this time Ladybug knew for sure there was no illusion. This was the real Adrien and what was worse, this was also the real Chat. This time help won't be coming.

It couldn't possibly get worse and yet it somehow did when LadyNoir said ' **Give me Chat's miraculous and I'll let Adrien go**.'

Ladybug looked at her right hand in panic and hid it behind her back.

' **Ooops! Too late!** ' the Akuma cackled. ' **You think I haven't noticed that little trinket on your finger? Did Chat finally propose?** '

Adrien winced as LadyNoir strengthened her grip. ' **What do you say, Ladybug?** '

The heroine felt shivers going down her spine. She casted the boy a look full of guilt but he returned it with an encouraging smile and a wink. Ladybug's heart sank. Even in such a moment he put her first. Even now he thought about giving _her_ the courage, about reassuring _her_.

And just like that Ladybug knew what to do. In or out of suit Adrien was still her partner, was still her Chat. Just like she was only plain Marinette under the red spandex, with all her anxieties and fears. She gave in to them now hoping they would get her through this.

The red clad heroine sagged to her knees broken in wail. 'Please! Please, don't hurt him!' She cried. 'I give up.'

She slid the black ring off her hand. 'Please, take it.' She pleaded. 'Just let him go.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Lucky Harm! I'm a troll. I'm trolling my own story and having a lot of fun with it xD
> 
> My cover is blown. I'm Chat Noir at heart and loooove my puns.
> 
> Prepare for the last part, it's gonna be up this weekend.
> 
> And please tell me – did you like this chapter?
> 
> One request though – if you think you've guessed the solution (I've dropped quite a few hints after all), please don't write it in your comment yet. It would be a shame to spoil the story for other readers. But I will gladly read all your I-knew-its in the reviews after the last chapter. Okay?


	16. The score

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus the story ends...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apawlogize for the cliffhanger. No, actually I do not. That's what cliffhangers are for xD
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter guys! And don't forget to tell me, how did you like it and the whole story!

' **Wise choice Ladybug**.' LadyNoir cackled, ugly grin crawling back to her face. ' **Give me that and I'll let him go**.' She instructed. ' **And then it's only me, you and your miraculous**.'

The heroine nodded silently in agreement never taking her eyes off Adrien. His gaze spoke volumes. He understood. Ladybug raised the hand holding the black jewel with a green paw print and then a few things happened almost at once.

The red clad girl tossed the ring to LadyNoir but so unlike her she aimed it badly. As it's trajectory was too much to the right, the Akuma loosened the grip on her hostage to catch the miraculous.

Adrien didn't waste another second. He stepped heavily on her foot and then in one swift motion headbutted the villain. Without his suit he was nowhere as strong as her, but the blow was just enough to give him some space. When LadyNoir staggered back he reached behind and ripped the pendant from her neck. One good aimed throw and a split of a second later Ladybug had the possessed object in her butterfly net, broke it and caught the akuma.

 

***

 

Disoriented Chloe didn't even manage to mumble 'What happened?' before she found herself in the middle of a mob. All of the people in the ballroom rushed to the person dressed as Ladybug, who was looming over her with an arm stretched to help her up. Chloe looked to his masked face and recognized Adrien's green eyes. The boy was interrupted as the students raised him in their arms. He found himself being tossed nearly as high as the ceiling and laughed at the sudden flight. His classmates cheered and applauded him. Finally they put him down and settled for patting him heavily on his back.

Ladybug looked at all this amused, relaxed and as usual proud at the job well done. She turned to Chloe.

The blonde girl looked in confusion at two Ladybugs, one of which looked somewhat crumpled. Then she registered Alya with her phone in hand, recording all the commotion and instantly she knew something terrible had happened to her. Chloe could only pray it was over and reverted and she didn't do much harm to anyone important. She was _terrified_.

Ladybug walked to her and offered her a hand. Chloe stood up but before she was able to ask all the questions crowding on her tongue, Sabrina, Alix, Nathanael and Rose pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. They were also dressed as superheroes, which confused Chloe even more, as she was sure their costumes looked different last time she checked.

Alya was already in her blogger mode. She dashed to Ladybug showering her with question marks. Adrien walked to them after finally freeing himself from all the affection he was receiving, trailing Nino in his wake.

Feeling only a slight prick of guilt towards Marinette the redhead decided that just this once a little disloyalty for the sake of the hero of the day was forgivable.

'A photo for Ladyblog?' She asked with a sparkle in her eye. 'Maybe with your biggest fan?' She added winking at Adrien.

Ladybug looked confused for a moment, but then her gaze swept over her doppelganger and the corners of her lips raised into a cheeky grin.

'Sure. With pleasure.' She said standing beside the boy and wrapping her arm around his shoulder. Adrien's face dissolved into a beamy smile while rosy hue tinted his cheeks.

_Marinette : Adrien – 1:0._

'Biggest fan, huh?' Ladybug murmured barely moving a corner of her lips so that only Adrien would hear her.

'Have I ever given you an impression to think otherwise, my Lady?' Came a muffled reply from the blonde.

'Fair enough.' She said blushing lightly. 'Although I would have never thought that Adrien was too.'

'Always.' He whispered gently, bumping his hip into her side. Ladybug acted casual but it didn't go unnoticed by Adrien how she stiffened when he wrapped his arm around her too.

_Marinette : Adrien – 1:1._

When the impromptu photoshoot was over Adrien picked up the black ring still lying on the floor and passed it to the heroine.

'Is this really a miraculous?' He asked for the look of it. He knew the answer anyway.

'No. Chat Noir still has the real thing.' Ladybug said with a knowing smile and passed the ring to Alya. 'I borrowed this from your friend who was dressed as him.'

Nino scratched his head. 'Which one? I've seen at least three Chats today!' He chuckled and there was a collective outburst of laughter.

Ladybug turned so that only Adrien could see her and mouthed the words "cloak room". The boy nodded and silently scooted in the direction of the main door.

At the mention of Chat Noir Max started to inspect the ballroom. 'Has anybody seen Marinette?' he asked and the rest of the students suddenly realized their class president was missing. Conveniently Ladybug's earrings gave the fourth warning.

'Well that's my cue to leave.' The heroine said and ran to the door.

She bumped into Adrien as he was leaving the cloak room. He casted a glance at her earrings, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the room again. There was a fifth beep, a flare of red light and Ladybug de-transformed into a feline Marinette.

The girl unexpectedly found herself nose to nose with her crush and partner in one person. She looked at him with eyes of a deer caught in headlights. His smirk was unbearably smug and his emerald eyes were pinning her in place. She barely registered a flash of mischief in them as he was about to open his mouth but the frantic cries in the corridor apparently stopped him in his tracks.

'Marinette?!'

'Where are you?!'

'Did you see Marinette?!'

Adrien winked and pulled away, opening the door.

'Found her!' He called into the corridor.

'After you, my Lady.' He rasped bending in his signature Chat Noir bow as Marinette passed him on shaky legs.

 _Marinette : Adrien – 1:2_ _._

 

_***_

 

When her classmates finally let her go Chloe immediately found Alya and asked her for the footage. She needed to see the extend of the damage for herself.

By the time she was finished, pale as a ghost, the Mayor, Mister Agreste and Miss Bustier finally reached the ballroom. Upon seeing Chloe Gabriel clenched his fists and also requested to see the videos Alya had recorded.

His face was a mixture of dread and pride. After all it was Adrien who directly fought the Akuma and took her necklace. Somehow it seemed adequate, even if ridiculously ironic - a villain who was a hybrid of two superheroes overpowered by a cosplaying civilian.

Alya beamed with delight. Ladyblog's ratings were undoubtedly going to shoot into outer space, and a certain picture was already trending everywhere from twitter to facebook.

Mr. Agreste silently watched his son, already proclaimed "the hero of the evening" in the media, as he sat next to Chloe and her father and tried to comfort his childhood friend, even after everything she did. He took in all those quiet conversations among other students. He recalled a carefully tailored version of the events presented to him by one very cunning Alya Cesaire. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together and Gabriel was _extremely_ good at reading between the lines. The designer reached a decision.

'Andre, a word if you please.' He said walking to the trio.

' _Uh oh_ '. Adrien knew that tone and that face. The boy was perfectly aware that when one witnesses them on his father the best course of action is to run to shelter. The Mayor was going down though he didn't know it yet.

'Yes, Gabriel?' The man fixed him with a puzzled look.

'I expect you to put an end to your daughter's nasty behavior.' The fashion mogul stated.

'What are you talking about?' Mr. Bourgeois was perplexed at the sudden demand.

Gabriel took a deep breath and rubbed the base of his nose irritably.

'Well, personally I wouldn't care if she's a bully, a thief and a liar. But she's dangerous. She's already been akumatized twice, which means, she definitely has anger management issues. Moreover she bullies people so much they get akumatized themselves as a result. Ask Miss Bustier, ask her classmates, ask my bodyguard for heaven's sake! Even he will tell you Chloe is an obnoxious brat!' The older Agreste stated grimly.

'But the most important part is, she is a threat to my son and to my name. And I won't have that, understood? Her constant insinuations and suggestions that she's in a relationship with Adrien already cost me some very serious money. She is not good publicity, she is a disaster publicity both for Adrien and for my brand. And today she tried to physically hurt my son! And she hurt me! She uses him! She treats him like he's some sort of toy, like property!

'B-but… she was akumatized…' The Mayor blurted out.

'I know technically the akuma victims are not to be held responsible for their actions while akumatized,' Gabriel interrupted him, 'but as far as I know the akuma enhances whatever desire is already there. Besides, this incident was only the last straw. Maybe today she acted against her will, although I strongly doubt it, but on all the other days she was just herself.'

The man stiffened his posture and lowered his voice to ominous whisper. 'If those are not good enough reasons to press charges and get at least a restraining order, then my name is not Gabriel Agreste. And since we both know it is… ' he raised his brow. 'Let me put it this way – put your daughter in order or there will be consequences. That is for both of you, _Mayor_. I don't care how, although if I'm any judge a therapy and charity work would be a good start. Either you end this, or I end you.'

The Mayor squinted at Gabriel but he knew he had no other choice. The Agrestes were an old and established family with connections everywhere. Bourgeois couldn't risk turning Gabriel into an enemy.

'Fine. I'll handle it.' He mumbled, and then realizing all this could put him in a bad light he added in a much louder voice. 'T-thank you for the _advice_! I appreciate it greatly!'

Adrien's father nodded wordlessly, turned on his heels and marched towards Miss Bustier.

The rest of the class watched this exchange in silence. When the spell finally broke Alya shrugged and whispered, 'Well, it takes a bully to catch a bully.'

Mr. Bourgeois was perfectly aware that in politics image was everything. He didn't have a choice but to play by Gabriel's rules. Moreover the speech the man had just thrown at him could lead to some serious questions and problems. The Mayor started to think really, really quickly how to fix the bad impression. There was at least one immediate solution and he could think further after a good night's sleep. He cleared his throat.

'D-dear kids! Chloe's _friends_! I am forever in your debt for the things you did today to rescue my daughter, who was so unfortunately and involuntarily… um… _indisposed_ … ' Mr. Bourgeois announced to the surprised students. 'And as- as- as a t-thank you for your… your… help and support please stay in my hotel this evening for as long as you like. It would be a shame to waste such a nice party after all.' He concluded with his widest fake smile plastered across his face. 'Let's have fun and hopefully it will allow us to forget about this most hapless and regrettable incident.'

From behind her phone set on recording again Alya fixed Mr. Bourgeois with a long and pointed stare, the most journalistic one she had mastered so far. She noted with satisfaction the droplets of sweat on his forehead. Still, what could she do now, a mere college student? In the future, when she finally becomes a respected professional, things might change. The girl let that thought seep into her stare and the Mayor paled even more.

The readhead took pity on him. 'Thank you, Mr. Bourgeois. We'll be happy to have our party here tonight.' She said simply, and her classmates nodded in agreement.

The Mayor gave them a small bow and turned his attention to his daughter.

'Chloe, you're coming with me right now.' He said quietly but in a voice that was impossible to disobey. A duffer he might seem, but when Andre Bourgeois chose to be a figure of authority, he knew how to do it right. The girl raised from her seat without any complaints, gave Sabrina and Adrien a small smile, and left with her father.''

 

***

 

Adrien, accompanied by Nino, sunk with relief to one of the chairs standing by the walls of the ballroom. His legs and ribs still hurt a bit, although it seemed Miraculous Cure had healed most of his injuries and elevated some of the soreness.

The boy looked at Marinette, currently at the other side of the room in a firm grasp of Alya, surrounded by some other people. The blogger was showing her friend all the action that she had missed due to being locked in a closet somewhere. Their classmates couldn't agree if their president was lucky or not. Some pointed out that LadyNoir wanted to hurt her, so Marinette should be considered lucky to escape Adrien's fate. Others countered that maybe it would be Marinette's pictures side by side with Ladybug blowing up the internet right now if she wasn't stuck in a cupboard. The girl was amused to no end as she desperately tried to swallow the laughter at the absurdity of this discussion.

Adrien took in her suppressed smile, the amused twinkle in her sapphire eyes and he didn't even noticed when his own eyes lit up and his lips broke into dopey grin. And when after re-watching the final encounter with LadyNoir Marinette sent him a look of an immense pride over Alya's phone probably only Nino's hand resting on his shoulder prevented the blonde from leaving the ground.

_Marinette : Adrien – 2:2._

Though someone did take notice of Adrien's state.

'So, what's up with you and Mari?' Nino brought Adrien back from whatever sappy heaven he'd been floating in.

'Huh?' The boy sent him a confused look.

'Dude, you two have been gone for quite some time when the Akuma arrived.' The Mime gave Ladybug a wink. 'Did Marinette finally confess?'

'Kind of…' murmured Adrien, thinking of the day's reveal. 'Wait! What do you mean _finally_?'

'Bro, she's been crushing on you since day two. Didn't she tell you that?'

'Nooo… she didn't tell me _that_.' Adrien said carefully.

'So why did you tell me she confessed?' Now Nino was at a loss.

'What? Oh, no, she did confess.' The boy replied cryptically and then grinned. 'She just didn't tell me _that_.'

 

***

 

Marinette had had enough of entertainment for one evening and she had just decided it was time to sneak out and head home, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and found herself staring at the green-eyed Ladybug hero of the evening.

'May I talk to you for a moment, Chat Noir?' The said hero asked politely.

Alya, seated next to the black clad girl, raised a quizzical brow. Her sixth sense was telling her something unusual was going to happen. 'What for?' She asked ignoring the fact that the question wasn't directed at her.

Adrien flashed her a Cheshire bug grin. 'I'm afraid it's a classified vigilante matter of utmost importance.'

For the first time this evening Alya was speechless, which gave Marinette a chance to raise from her seat and stutter. 'O-okay?'

They walked away from other students. When the music turned into a slow song, Adrien got struck by an idea. He caught Marinette's hand.

'May I have this dance?' He asked hopefully.

Marinette lowered her head and mumbled, 'I… I c-can't dance. I've got two left feet.'

The boy smiled warmly and raised her hand to plant a featherlight kiss on her knuckles.

'I find that extremely hard to believe, Bugaboo.' He murmured squeezing her fingers gently. 'Just follow my lead. Chat Noir always follows Ladybug's lead, remember?

The girl blushed delectably and nodded. 'I suppose one dance would… '

'Oh, keep dreaming.' Adrien interrupted whatever she was about to say. 'Like I would be stopped at just one dance with my Lady.'

_Marinette : Adrien – 2:gazillion._

 

***

 

Alya watched with delight as Ladybug led Chat Noir into their first dance. They were silent, though never breaking eye contact, except for an occasional twirl or a pass. Ladybug definitely knew what he was doing, but how did Chat Noir know? You'd have to watch really closely to notice the subtle telltales of the volumes of non verbal communication going on between those two. A barely noticeable squeeze of the arm, a delicate nod in the right direction, a subtle pull here, a roll of the eye there. And smiles, endless smiles.

It wasn't any particular dance or routine. They just reacted to the music and to each other, their dance 100% improvised and yet impressive nonetheless. They weren't moving through the dance floor, as much as they were flying, occupying a different dimension, a space of their own.

'Babe, you sure they haven't practiced this in advance?' Nino's voice brought Alya back from her musings. 'It looks perfect sync to me.' The boy scratched his head, perplexed.

'Nope. I think they make it all up as they go.' Alya replied thoughtfully.

'Did you know they could dance like that?' Rose chirped in.

'I knew Adrien could.' Nino admitted after a while. 'His father made him take dancing classes as a part of his modeling prep. Helps to walk the cat walk I guess.'

'But Mari?' Juleka asked dreamily, enchanted by the spectacle unraveling before her eyes.

'Nah,' Kim shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. 'For as long as I've known her Marinette always had two left feet and coordination of a sack full of ducks falling down the stairs.'

'Then how is THAT possible?' Alix pointed to Ladybug and Chat Noir soaring through the dance floor in perfect unison.

The others just shrugged, clueless.

Alya was uncharacteristically silent through this discussion. She thought, she probably should be concentrating on finding a crowbar big enough to separate Adrien and Marinette when the evening is over. Yet she felt as if there was something nagging at her mind that she couldn't pinpoint. The girl studied the dancing pair again. There was something really strange going on.

Marinette's face bore a daring look the redhead found oddly familiar, but couldn't quite recognize. Her friend looked at Adrien with a mixture of sass, gentleness and awe. All traces of hopeless lovestruck drool were gone. At the same time the boy watched her with such heartwarming tenderness, that could only imply she was the most important person in his life.

What the hell had happened during the akuma attack? Or maybe in the past two days when they had exchanged the lots?

Alya couldn't tell for the life of her, and although her journalist streak screamed at her to get some answers RIGHT NOW, her heart told her that for once she should leave it, let it be. There was some unspoken truth between those two. Something too deep, too personal to be prodded even with only sincere intentions. Unspoken, yet clear connection.

The blogger shook her head to dismiss those thoughts. Whatever that meant, however it would end, she was sure that this was purely miraculous.

She knew magic when she saw it.

**\- The End -**

…

..

.

Unless…

You want to know

what happened next?

.

..

…

You do?

Then check out the sequel

["Tikki, claws out!"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11226732/chapters/25086516)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? What do YOU say?! Don't forget to write that in your review! I'm dying to know if you liked it.
> 
> Some afterword is due. Thank you all for your support – for your kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions and comments. It really meant a world to me, as this was my first fic ever. I am quite satisfied with the result and hope you are too.
> 
> Special thanks to Remasa from FFnet, a kind soul who re-read the existing chapters (up until 10 for now) and mercilessly redistributed all the wrong placed commas, fixed grammar and typos, and generally tidied all the mess I've left – English isn't my first language so I hope your eyes didn't hurt too much because of all those mistakes, that I didn't catch ^^
> 
> Also, a very important message: sometime around Chapter 11 JustAnotherCuriousKat (thanks!) wrote a thing in their comment and that something led to… a sequel to this fic. Yup! There's a sequel, and I'm going to post the first chapter just after updating and completing this one. So if you're curious, you know what to do ^^
> 
> Once again thank you all so much, and in case you miss me check out my other stories or come and bother me on tumblr (perditaalottachocolate-blog. tumblr. com).


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